Ford to invest $200m in new wind tunnel complex

Ford has announced plans to invest $200 million (Rs 1,263 crore) in a new aerodynamic testing complex that will house a next-generation rolling road wind tunnel and state-of-the-art climatic chamber. The new facility will come complete with testing advancements that better match the technological development of Ford products – both production vehicles and racing vehicles.

“This investment in new world-class test facilities underpins Ford’s ongoing commitment to advance our capabilities to continue to provide our customers with high-quality vehicles,” said Raj Nair, Ford executive vice-president, global product development and chief technical officer.

The new wind tunnel complex will be located on a 13-acre site next to Ford’s current Driveability Test Facility in Allen Park, Michigan. The complex will house new innovative technology that delivers state-of-the-art real-world driving simulations to advance improvements in fuel economy. Construction starts this year.

Replicating real-world drag
The new wind tunnel complex, according to Ford, better positions its engineers to conduct testing that proves out advancements in vehicle design. A new five-belt conveyor system can replicate real-world drag through a rolling road aerodynamic tunnel that enables the manufacturer to bring the road to the vehicle, rather than the vehicle to the road.

To test for optimal fuel efficiency, each wheel gets its own belt. The massive fifth belt runs under the center of the vehicle, allowing airflow around the entire vehicle at speeds up to 155mph/248kph. As a part of the rolling road belt cartridge system, a crane will be used to switch between the five-belt and single-belt systems – an industrial-sized plug-and-play approach bringing two testing methods into one. The single belt – which operates at up to 200mph/320kph – opens up a new breed of testing for high-speed performance and racing vehicles.

Simulating the Artic. . . and the Sahara
Together with the rolling road, the wind tunnel complex will produce full environmental airflow simulation, with speeds from 250kph to 320kph. This expanded air-flow will enable engineers to validate vehicle designs at a higher quality and repeatability. This strengthens testing for aerodynamic shielding, high-speed performance and other design features.

The climatic chamber can get as low as minus 40deg Fahrenheit, colder than the Arctic, and as high as 140deg Fahrenheit, hotter than the Sahara.

“"This new wind tunnel facility will not only allow us to test our performance and racing vehicle line-up but will also enable us to share innovations across all our global Ford products,” said Dave Pericak, Ford Performance global director.

To accommodate large-frame vehicles, including Super Duty trucks, the new aerodynamic complex will ‘super-size’ wind tunnel chambers.