Design and production of wind tunnel testing models with selective laser sintering technology using glass-reinforced nylon

In this study, the ability of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) Technology for production of wind tunnel testing models are evaluated. It has been undertaken to determine the suitability of the Model constructed with SLS method in subsonic and transonic wind tunnel testing. Two models were evaluated in this study. The first model was fabricated from aluminum 5086-H32 by a CNC machining technique. The other model had the same section but was fabricated by the selective laser sintering (SLS) process. Aerodynamic characteristics and times as well as costs of both models were measured in 0.3 to 1.2 Mach and the results were compared. The longitudinal aerodynamic data and the normal force data obtained from SLS model showed good agreement with data obtained from the aluminum model. The greatest difference in the aerodynamic data between two models is the total axial force. The time and the cost of production are considerably reduced with use of SLS model.