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A series of aerodynamically driven model mounts for dynamic wind tunnel testing were designed, built and evaluated at Wichita State University. The mount proved to be very responsive, stable and capable of generating a wide variety of pitching motions. However, the response of an early variant of this mechanism displayed “stair-step” like behavior during slow pitching motions and damped oscillations at the end of rapid pitching motions. Numerical and experimental evaluations demonstrated that these undesired characteristics are minimized when the size of the control surface is increased and the inertia of the apparatus is reduced. In addition, this novel mechanism was utilized to demonstrate the type of valuable data that can be obtained. Force data for an oscillating NACA 0012 wing section is provided.

An investigation was performed to evaluate a novel and inexpensive wind tunnel model mount for dynamic aerodynamic testing. A computer analysis code was developed to identify the dimensions of the control surface needed to produce a desired pitching motion for a delta wing. The code was then used to design and build a dynamic model apparatus that was evaluated in a low speed wind tunnel at Wichita State University. The dynamic model mount and control were evaluated for a variety of motions, including constant pitch rate ramps, constant frequency oscillations and impulse or step inputs. Results from the ramp and oscillation test indicated the system is very responsive and capable of a wide range of motion.