Model technicians work on one of nine wooden 14-by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel blades at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The blades, which date back to the tunnel’s construction 45 years ago, were removed so that the tunnel motor could be repaired. The technicians are inspecting, recording any slight damages and making repairs to the Sitka spruce structures. According to Frank Quinto, tunnel facility manager, most large low speed wind tunnels use Sitka spruce for their blades. Sitka spruce is famous for its strength, thanks to its long, straight grain. It is used in wind tunnels because it is easy and inexpensive to fabricate and repair, can withstand variations in hot and cold temperatures, and is safer than metal if a blade breaks and shatters into fragments. Crews will re-install the blades sometime after July 4 after the motor is put back into the tunnel, fully checked out and working.
Kathy Barnstorff
NASA Langley Research Center