Deutsches Museum - Munich
To prepare best for our choosen topic of fluid mechanics we decided to go on a field trip to the Deutsches Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology in Munich. Over the duration of our visit we observed several problems with the existing systems of the Deutsches Museum. The problems ranged from missing modularity of the exhibition elements over to reduced durability owed to the used materials inside the booths.
The main points we wanted to adress in our project were the visual and also the haptical component of our topic. We wanted the visitors to use a physical component as well as letting them see the complicated calculation as a visualization helping them understand the subject of fluid dynamics better. We also wanted to make the booth as modular as modular as possible to ensure simpilfied maintenance.
The main points we wanted to adress in our project were the visual and also the haptical component of our topic. We wanted the visitors to use a physical component as well as letting them see the complicated calculation as a visualization helping them understand the subject of fluid dynamics better. We also wanted to make the booth as modular as modular as possible to ensure simpilfied maintenance.
Forschungsinstitut für Kraftfahrwesen und Fahrzeugmotoren - Stuttgart
We decided to make a field trip to the "Forschungsinstitut für Kraftfahrwesen und Fahrzeugmotoren" to get the opinion and insight from experts in the field of fluid dynamics and simulation.
Our contact Mr. Wieddecke showed us a 1:4 scaled model of a wind tunnel and we were also able to get a also a short peek onto the 1:1 scaled windtunnel.
Mr. Wieddecke explained specific differences in the construction of windtunnels to us, like why their 1:1 windtunnel is curved and also which model of a windtunnel would be the easiest to construct regarding our project.
Our contact Mr. Wieddecke showed us a 1:4 scaled model of a wind tunnel and we were also able to get a also a short peek onto the 1:1 scaled windtunnel.
Mr. Wieddecke explained specific differences in the construction of windtunnels to us, like why their 1:1 windtunnel is curved and also which model of a windtunnel would be the easiest to construct regarding our project.
Construction of the Wind Tunnel
For the construction of our wind tunnel we decided to set up the whole project inside of a shelf for an optimized for the visitor. The tunnel consists of a plexiglass board, a wooden frame,
a 23 centimeter fan, a flat screen and three IR-distance sensors as well as three gyroscopes.
The frame of the wind tunnel itself is cutout on all four sides to fit the fan, the screen and the plexiglass board with the description.
The plexiglass board is cut out on the visitor facing side providing the user with a aluminium rod which has a scaled down version of a wing, a drop or a spoiler on the other end.
Each of these objects contains a gyroscope which is wired to an arduino board connected to a computer. The computer and other technical equipment is located below the windtunnel itself.
The frame of the wind tunnel itself is cutout on all four sides to fit the fan, the screen and the plexiglass board with the description.
The plexiglass board is cut out on the visitor facing side providing the user with a aluminium rod which has a scaled down version of a wing, a drop or a spoiler on the other end.
Each of these objects contains a gyroscope which is wired to an arduino board connected to a computer. The computer and other technical equipment is located below the windtunnel itself.
Logic behind the Animation
To send the data from the gyroscopes to the computer we used the Arduinio IDE, the processing of the data is made possible by a combination of Processing and JavaScript.
The gyroscopes and the IR-sensor are constantly sending data packages which allow us to move the digital shape code wise. For the gyroscopes, we only allowed them to send the data of one axis, a full 360° rotation is therefore not possible.
The gyroscopes and the IR-sensor are constantly sending data packages which allow us to move the digital shape code wise. For the gyroscopes, we only allowed them to send the data of one axis, a full 360° rotation is therefore not possible.
The IR-sensors on the ceiling of the tunnel only send data if the object beneath them is in a distance of 10 to 60 centimeters.
To simulate the digital wind we are used an open-source library. This library allowed us to calculate the flow of the fluid almost physically correct.
