Tag

Wind Tunnel

All articles tagged with #wind tunnel

technology1 month ago•85 min saved

Bianchi revamps Specialissima into aero all-rounder, hinting at the end for Oltre

Bianchi has overhauled the Specialissima into an aero all‑rounder, opting not to update the Oltre. The redesigned frame maintains similar geometry but features a larger front end and a new cockpit, with claimed aero gains (about 16 watts with the RC wheelset) and a lighter frame. Available in three variants (Specialissima, Specialissima Pro, Specialissima RC) from roughly €5,200 to €11,500, the move reflects a shift toward a single race bike platform in pro racing, casting doubt on the Oltre’s future.

via Cyclingnews|

#aero-bike #bianchi #oltre

bikes1 month ago•82 min saved

Aero gravel showdown: Crux 5 edges rivals in wind tunnel test as Argon 18 leads bike-only

Wind-tunnel testing of aero gravel bikes at 35 km/h compares current models. Argon 18 Anti Matter posts the best bike-only drag numbers, Specialized Crux 5 leads the rider-on results by a razor-thin margin, and Wilier Rave sits close; Pinarello Dogma GR and Reap Type 300 are within the margin of top spot. The study also shows tyre clearance and wheel choice matter: wider tyres (up to 57–61mm) reduce rolling resistance and drag, and a wheel upgrade can swing watts by several points (Lauf Seigla benefiting most). Overall, aero and clearance plus rider position drive gravel-bike performance far more than any single factor.

via Cyclingnews|

#aero #argon-18-anti-matter #bikes

technology1 month ago•66 min saved

Specialized Crux 5 pivots to aero gravel with lighter builds and new geometry

Specialized today unveiled the Crux 5, a gravel-focused redesign that shifts away from cyclocross with a longer, slacker geometry, 55mm tyre clearance, and 52t chainring clearance. Builds start around 6.9–7.1 kg with lighter Terra wheels and a one-piece cockpit, and the bike touts about a 15.2-watt aero improvement over the previous Crux. It remains 1x-compatible (with mechanical groupsets), internally routed, and introduces an S-Level lineup alongside S-Works, aiming to be a true gravel racer rather than a cross bike. The company backs its aero claims with wind-tunnel data and its “Equation of Speed,” factoring weight, rolling resistance, and aerodynamics into on-trail performance. Prices range from roughly $4,500 to $14,000, with framesets available in select markets.

via Cyclingnews|

#aero-efficiency #geometry #gravel-bikes

technology5 months ago•5 min saved

SAFS: NASA’s Polarized Light Camera Makes Airflow Visible Like Never Before

NASA Langley’s Self-Aligned Focusing Schlieren (SAFS) imaging uses light polarization to visualize airflows in wind tunnels, simplifying beyond traditional dual-grid schlieren setups. Since its 2020 debut, SAFS offers faster, cheaper, on-site flow visualization, captures complex shock structures around boosters, and is now used by 50+ institutions in 8+ countries, earning the 2025 R&D 100 Award and NASA’s Government Invention of the Year.

via NASA (.gov)|

#aerospace #nasa #safs

science9 months ago•7 min saved

Wind-Powered Tumbleweed Rovers Promise Cost-Effective Mars Exploration

Researchers have validated through wind tunnel tests that tumbleweed-inspired rovers could operate on Mars, propelled by the planet's high winds, potentially covering vast distances and collecting environmental data, offering a low-cost and wide-reaching method for planetary exploration.

via Space|

#exploration #mars #rovers

science-and-technology1 year ago•2 min saved

X-59 Supersonic Aircraft Undergoes Testing in Japan

NASA and JAXA tested a scale model of the X-59 aircraft in a Japanese wind tunnel to assess noise levels and validate predictions for quieter supersonic flight, a key step toward developing commercial quiet supersonic airliners.

via NASA (.gov)|

#jaxa #nasa #science-and-technology

science3 years ago•2 min saved

Study Challenges Long-Held Principles on Turbulent Flows in New Findings

Experiments conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) in Göttingen reveal that the scaling laws formulated over 80 years ago, which explain turbulent flows, are only partially accurate. The study shows that these laws, established by mathematician Andrei Kolmogorov in 1941, apply only to strongly idealized flows and do not fully explain real-world turbulence. The researchers used a unique wind tunnel to generate high degrees of turbulence and found systematic deviations from Kolmogorov's predictions, suggesting that medium-sized eddies are not completely decoupled from larger eddies in a system. The findings have implications for understanding turbulence in engineered flows and climate models.

via Phys.org|

#empirical-data #research-facility #scaling-laws