cvalue13

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It’s not technically a wind tunnel. I would call it a semi-controlled airflow simulator. A wind tunnel is: (1) a tunnel, (2) generally closed, (3) the airflow is highly controlled, and (4) the device is highly instrumented. The facility at Giga Austin is a mobile unit to get ad hoc measurements at manufacturing facilities rather than sending them out to a real wind tunnel. They need not be accurate as they are intended for manufacturing tweaks.
not quite


but not for aerodynamics, and instead for wind acoustics (eg testing cabin noise)!

https://media.ford.com/content/ford...ld-first-mobile-aeroacoustic-wind-tunnel.html


Which would explain also the turntable: unlike aero drag tunnels (need head-on wind only), to test wind acoustics in the cabin you’d want to know whether any external vehicle features “pick up” cross-winds to create audible nuisance

for Ford, apparently they use it in early/pre-production design phase: “sources of unwanted wind noise in early production vehicles to be identified faster and solutions developed sooner”

also explains the smoke, and why it can be done outdoors (sensors are in the cabin)
 
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greggertruck

greggertruck

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Wondering if gaskets are installed in a fluid form and they’re dialing in the fluid dispersement? Like does it need thicker gaskets or?

exciting times!
 

fritter63

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Wind tunnel testing! :) edit: (at least that's what i think the white tunnel is)
That's actually the Bug Splat Simulator.

Required for sales in all midwest states.
 


anionic1

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That is not a wind tunnel, it is a prototype for the new, even bigger BAW (the e-BBAW). Elon said "why wipe off the water when you can just blow it off?" and the e-BBAW was born.
I hear rumors that the whole truck is a BAW here to wipe all ICE trucks off the road.
 

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If Legacy were to optimize their truck for maximum efficiency, they would slowly transform it into a Cybertruck. 🤣
 

anionic1

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It’s not technically a wind tunnel. I would call it a semi-controlled airflow simulator. A wind tunnel is: (1) a tunnel, (2) generally closed, (3) the airflow is highly controlled, and (4) the device is highly instrumented. The facility at Giga Austin is a mobile unit to get ad hoc measurements at manufacturing facilities rather than sending them out to a real wind tunnel. They need not be accurate as they are intended for manufacturing tweaks.
I wonder if this kind of test is good for a general overall real life drag coefficient.
 

cvalue13

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I wonder if this kind of test is good for a general overall real life drag coefficient.
see above

It’s not for aerodynamics

It’s for aeroacoustics

It can be outdoors and in this setup because they’re testing for whether cabin noise is generated by air across its envelope.

Which is also why it’s on a turntable:

Tesla Cybertruck Cybertruck Spotted in Wind Tunnel / Airflow Simulator at Giga Texas (4.12.23) FCE7760E-0746-4D78-A868-B02D79CBE2F9


Unlike with aerodynamics, with aeroacoustics you need to check if winds from any directions create cab noise

Like if a side gust of wind causes the BAW to suddenly start whistling the song of the @CyberGus

Or if a gust from the rear makes the CT giggle
 

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anionic1

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see above

It’s not for aerodynamics

It’s for aeroacoustics

It can be outdoors and in this setup because they’re testing for whether cabin noise is generated by air across its envelope.

Which is also why it’s on a turntable:

FCE7760E-0746-4D78-A868-B02D79CBE2F9.jpeg


Unlike with aerodynamics, with aeroacoustics you need to check if winds from any directions create cab noise

Like if a side gust of wind causes the BAW to suddenly start whistling the song of the @CyberGus

Or if a gust from the rear makes the CT giggle
@cvalue13 you are truly an engineer and a poet. I hope that they are tuning the stainless to hummm like that obelisk from Space Odyssey 2001. And like the obelisk I am strangely excited down to my primal core and drawn to it.
 

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Would this be used to test for wind noise in isolation from road noise?

I imagine they might be difficult to differentiate in some circumstances.
Such a device could be an invaluable tool for practical evaluation. My only quip is the name. Think of this device as a ‘dirty’ version of the former. By dirty I mean that you can be certain of a measurable result, such as a vibration, turbulence, etc., but you cannot be certain of what the cause of that result is because you weren’t in control of the environmental conditions.
Sponsored

 
 




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