The Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel was founded in 1949 after

Glenn L. Martin Glenn Luther Martin (January 17, 1886 – December 5, 1955) was an early American aviation pioneer. He designed and built his own aircraft and was an active pilot, as well as an aviation record-holder. He founded an aircraft company in 1912 whi ...

gave a grant to the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

. This grant was used to expand the

A. James Clark School of Engineering The A. James Clark School of Engineering is the engineering college of the University of Maryland, College Park. The school consists of fourteen buildings on the College Park campus that cover over . The school is near Washington, D.C. and Balti ...

and build Glenn L. Martin Hall. The tunnel has served many clients over the years, conducting over 2000 tests. The tunnel is a low speed wind tunnel participating in testing ranging from automotive to aviation and more. The current director of the tunnel i
Dr. Jewel Barlow
The tunnel is an auxiliary resource to the University of Maryland, generating all necessary income to continue operation of the tunnel. They work primarily with external clients interested in developing products with aerodynamics in mind.

History

The tunnel was built at the University of Maryland after a grant from Glenn L. Martin. The creation of the tunnel was to serve two purposes. First to create a facility where Martin could do testing for his company, Martin Aircraft. The second was to provide a space for students at the university to gain experience and instruction. At time of construction in 1948, the tunnel cost $1.25 Million to build. The tunnel was initially a top secret facility used for government testing. After it was declassified, the facility began working with a wide range of external clients, ranging from Boeing to Ford. During the 1970s, the tunnel aided in the creation of some revolutionary automotive designs. Both the

Ford GT40 The Ford GT40 is a high-performance endurance racing car commissioned by the Ford Motor Company. It grew out of the "Ford GT" (for Grand Touring) project, an effort to compete in European long-distance sports car races, against Ferrari, which wo ...

as well as the original

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus * ''Bos taurus ...

were designed at the Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel. The GT40 went on to win four

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...

races. The Taurus was one of the first production cars designed with aerodynamics as a significant part of the design.

Technical Details

The Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel is the second largest university run tunnel in the United States. It has test section dimensions of 7.75' X 11.04' with corner fillets and a test section area of 85.04 sq. ft. The test section speed ranges from 2 mph to 230 mph. The propeller used has blades modified from that of a

B29 Bomber The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fly ...

and is driven by a 2250 HP AC synchronous electric motor. The tunnel uses a 6 component external yolk balance to measure the forces and moments acting on models being tested there.

References

{{reflist Wind tunnels University of Maryland, College Park facilities 1949 establishments in Maryland