For my science fair project, I am going to be constructing a wind tunnel that measures lift. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for a good wind tunnel and/or a good power source? I thought maybe for the wind tunnel I could use a drainage pipe but I'm not sure. Furthermore, I think the conventional household fan will not be powerful enough- a leafblower maybe?

 

THANKS!!

the easiest way to do this, i suspect, will be to make a very small wind tunnel. the smaller the diameter of the wind tunnel, the faster you can make the wind blow. Use whatever fan you can get and funnel it down to a small tunnel.

 

what are you intending for it to lift? and how will you measure it?

Thank you for replying! Your suggestions were very helpful.:-)

I am measuring wings with different angles of attack. To measure lift, I had kind of hoped to connect a string with a weight to the wing. Underneath the weight would be a scale, and the weight would be on top of it. As the fan starts, the wing will hopefully lift the weight up enough to see some difference in the scale.

A canister-style vacuum cleaner, the kind that has an exhaust connection, might be a good air source.