Men stand in front of turning vanes inside the Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT) at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory in this February 1944 publicity photo. The photo was taken just weeks after the tunnel became operational.
The AWT was the only wind tunnel capable of testing full-size aircraft engines in simulated altitude conditions. A large wooden drive fan, located on the other side of these vanes, created wind speeds up to 500 miles per hour. Each corner of the rectangular tunnel had turning vanes, which straightened the airflow and directed it around the corners. This set of vanes was in the 31-foot-diameter southeast corner of the tunnel. These elliptical panels consisted of 36 to 42 vertical vanes that were supported by three horizontal supports. The individual vanes were 2.5 feet long and half-moon shaped. Each set of vanes took weeks to assemble before they were installed during the summer of 1943.
The Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory went through several name updates and changes through NACA and NASA history; it is now NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
Image credit: NASA
在这张拍摄于1944年2月的宣传照片中，几名男子站在国家航空咨询委员会（NACA）航空发动机研究实验室的高空风洞（Altitude Wind Tunnel, AWT）内的导风叶片前。这张照片拍摄时，风洞刚刚投入使用仅几周时间。
高空风洞是当时唯一能够在模拟高空条件下测试全尺寸航空发动机的风洞。在这些导风叶片的另一侧，有一个巨大的木制驱动风扇，可产生高达每小时500英里的风速。矩形风洞的每个转角都设有导风叶片，用于校正气流方向并引导气流转弯。照片中的这组叶片位于风洞东南角，直径达31英尺（约9.45米）。这些椭圆形面板由36到42个垂直叶片组成，通过三根水平支撑杆固定。每片导风叶片长度为2.5英尺，呈半月形。每组导风叶片的组装需要耗费数周时间，最终于1943年夏天完成安装。
该实验室在NACA和NASA的历史发展过程中经历了数次更名与调整，现称为NASA格伦研究中心（Glenn Research Center），位于俄亥俄州克利夫兰市。
图片来源: NASA
