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Personal engineering project · Janbert Marania

Slipstream.

Desktop Wind Tunnel

Work in progress

An independent wind tunnel project designed to make airflow visible and aerodynamic behavior measurable.

My role
Concept & CAD design
Current stage
CAD design · build pending
Focus
Airflow visualization & measurement

Explore the assembly.

SolidWorks · 5 parts
Slipstream assembly with two flared housings, a central test section, an end collar, and a perforated inlet panel.

Loading the 3D assembly…

Drag to rotate · Scroll or pinch to zoom

Keyboard: focus the model, then use arrow keys to rotate, + / − to zoom, and Home to reset. Exploded spacing is for viewing the parts.

Four CAD views
Oblique CAD view showing the perforated inlet panel and the narrower central test section.
Perforated inlet · intended to help condition incoming airflow before testing.01 / 04

Current CAD design

Open full-size view ↗

Assembly drawing.

Open PDF ↗
Slipstream engineering drawing with orthographic, section A–A, and isometric assembly views.

Assembly and section views · 1 sheet

Download drawing ↓

01 · The idea

From concept
to experimentation.

I’m developing Slipstream as a platform for aerodynamic experimentation. What began as a desktop concept has grown into a project that connects mechanical design, additive manufacturing, and experimental measurement.

I developed the assembly in SolidWorks and documented the design through an engineering drawing. The next phase will bring the design into physical form, with airflow visualization and calibrated instrumentation planned to connect observed flow patterns with measurable data.

02 · Design decisions

A purpose behind
each feature.

Room to investigate

I expanded the housing to create more room for test specimens and future experimental setups.

Mounting recesses

Recesses on the underside provide mounting locations for supporting and securing the tunnel.

A perforated inlet

The inlet holes are intended to help straighten incoming airflow. Flow uniformity and turbulence will be checked after assembly.

03 · Planned experiments

Make the air visible.
Then measure it.

I plan to use fans and vents aligned along the tunnel to drive airflow through the test section. A small fog machine will help visualize how the air changes direction around different surfaces.

A mass airflow sensor is planned to quantify air passing through the system. Additional instruments are planned for airspeed, drag forces, and deflection, with calibration and test-section measurements forming the next stage of development.

How the measurements will be validated

Airflow sensing will characterize the tunnel’s operating conditions. Drag will need a separate force measurement, and the inlet’s flow quality will be assessed through testing. The measurement system is still being developed.

Technical context: NASA on flow straightening · NASA on drag measurement.

04 · Current progress

The build comes next.

The SolidWorks assembly and engineering drawing document the current design. Full printing and assembly are still ahead, followed by integrating the fans, fog system, and measurement tools.

Build photographs and test results will be added as the project develops.

  1. 01

    Print & assemble

    Check the housing fit and mounting features.

  2. 02

    Visualize the airflow

    Integrate the fans and fog system, then observe flow around test models.

  3. 03

    Measure & compare

    Develop and calibrate the instruments before comparing aerodynamic behavior.