Introduction
The large-scale low-noise Wind Tunnel of the Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI) was constructed to promote research and development on aerodynamic noise and other subjects related to Shinkansen and other high-speed railways.
The Wind Tunnel features the following functions.
Is used to measure aerodynamic noise at high precision in a large anechoic room at a low-noise level (background noise level 75.6dB at 300km/h), which is unrivaled in the world.
Realized the highest wind velocity among the large-scale wind tunnels in Japan.
400km/h at the open test section (width 3.0m x height 2.5m)
300km/h at the closed test section (width 5.0m x height 3.0m)
Is installed with moving belt ground plane, width 2.0m x length 6.0m, that moves at 0 to 220km/h to correctly simulate the flow near the ground surface.
Has large-size test sections to simulate low turbulence flows to ensure high-precision measurement of the flow and aerodynamic force that works on the models under test including automobiles.
@RTRI
For these features, the Wind Tunnel can be used for the basic research and development to reduce aerodynamic noise/drag and improve aerodynamic force/noise performance of high-speed trains, as well as for various tests and researches in wide ranges in non-railway applications.
Since 1996 June when it was constructed, the Wind Tunnel has been used extensively not only by RTRI but also by JR companies for development purposes.
