Project Overview
The Aeronautics, Dynamics and Controls Laboratory (ADCL) at UC Irvine operates an open-circuit Eiffel-type subsonic wind tunnel with a VFD-driven axial fan. This project covers the ongoing maintenance, instrumentation upgrades, and full documentation of that facility — with the explicit goal of leaving behind a system that any future student can pick up, operate safely, and extend.
The active work threads are:
- Automated pitching mechanism — motorize the pitch axis for test models inside the test section so angle-of-attack sweeps can be scripted from the control PC.
- Dark enclosure around the test section — build a light-tight shroud to enable smoke flow visualization with the laser sheet system.
- Remote control restoration (complete) — after the Win7 → Win11 PC migration, AeroWare's VFD-control path was unrepairable in place. Replaced with two paths: a PowerShell GUI for short-term use, and
ADCL WinSoft— a full AeroWare-equivalent application built in PySide6 + nidaqmx + pymodbus, packaged as a single-file Windows executable — for long-term operation. - Operating Manual & SOP (published) — a single-source operating manual for contributors and a separate operator SOP, both built from Markdown into a searchable web book and a single printable PDF.
Documentation
Operating & Contributor Manual
Hardware overview (motor, VFD, fieldbus, control PC, DAQ, laser & smoke, test section), operations (start-up via ADCL WinSoft / PowerShell / AeroWare, shutdown, data acquisition), software architecture, maintenance schedules, troubleshooting playbooks, and a reference appendix (parameter index, register map, calibration constants, glossary).
Standard Operating Procedure
Emergency contacts, pre-run checklist, run-time procedure, shutdown checklist, emergency procedures, and a one-page quick-reference card. Designed to be printed and laminated for use at the tunnel.