Projects – Automotive
BMW Acoustic Wind Tunnel (AWT)
On November 12, 2019, a consortium consisting of HABAU, MCE, ETS and AIOLOS was commissioned by the BMW Group for the construction of an expansion of the BMW Group Research and Innovation Center (FIZ) in Munich. It consists of an innovative acoustic wind tunnel with extremely high demands placed on the construction of the structures and the equipment of this research facility. With this order AIOLOS will further expand its competence as a partner for technologically complex projects.
Only the intensive, coordinated cooperation of the consortium team across three countries (Austria, Germany and Canada) and two time zones made this success possible. This cooperative partnership with the BMW Group is an essential success factor for the successful implementation of this complex project.
GAC Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel (AAWT)
Aiolos was awarded a contract to provide engineering service for a new automotive aerodynamic and acoustic wind tunnel located at GAC Engineering Center, Guangzhou, China. It is also a hot climate wind tunnel which provides testing temperature range of +20°C to +60°C equipped with high humidity, Solar Sim and Chassis Dyno. This facility is estimated to be operational in 2022.
Red River College Climatic Dynamometer Chamber
Red River College in Winnipeg, Manitoba, awarded Aiolos a hardware turnkey contract for the design and supply of a temperature-controlled climate chamber for trucks and buses, that would incorporate an eddy current dynamometer. The resulting Red River College Climatic Dynamometer Chamber (CDC) has the capability for soaking and performing vehicle evaluations including cold starts, extended idles, hot soaks and short full-load tests with up to 650 HP on the dynamometer, using cooled brine from two 40 cubic meter storage tanks. The main performance characteristics of the CDC are soaking temperatures of –40 °C to +50 °C throughout the year; starting and idling capabilities at the full temperature range and full-load tests at the full temperature range for short periods of time. The facility also has an open return mode of operation which allows extended full-load tests using outside ambient air. The facility was completed and became operational in 2019.
FAW Automotive Altitude Climatic Wind Tunnel
Aiolos was awarded a contract to provide engineering service for a new Altitude climatic wind tunnel located at FAW R&D center. This wind tunnel is designed to provide vehicle altitude simulation from -200M up to 5200M, as well as typical wind speed, temperature and humidity simulation of a climatic wind tunnel which is equipped with Main Fan, Solar Sim, Dyno and Exhaust Emission Testing subsystems. This facility will be operational in 2021.
PACCAR Climatic Wind Tunnel
PACCAR Inc. awarded Aiolos a contract for the turnkey design, fabrication, installation and commissioning of a new climatic wind tunnel for heavy trucks. The CWT is part of the climatic chassis dynamometer test cell constructed at the PACCAR Technical Center in Mt. Vernon, WA. The facility was operational in 2015.
FAW Toyota Hot Climatic Acoustic Wind Tunnel
FAW/Toyota Research & Development Co. Ltd. required the design and supply of a new high temperature, acoustic Climatic Wind Tunnel. In partnership with Ultitech, Aiolos is providing engineering services, technical support and acceptance testing. This wind tunnel will deliver good flow quality in a low noise environment for hot climatic testing. The facility was operational in 2016.
Hanon Climatic Wind Tunnel
Hanon Systems placed an order for the design and supply of a new climatic wind tunnel. In partnership with ATICS, Aiolos is responsible for engineering, on-site technical supervision, and commissioning. HVCC will use the CWT to test vehicles that include small passenger cars to trucks and minibuses. The facility was operational in 2016.
HMC Climatic Wind Tunnels
Hyundai Motor Company required two new climatic wind tunnels: a hot wind tunnel (HCWT) and a cold wind tunnel (CCWT). Aiolos was contracted to provide engineering services for the design and integration. Cooperating with HMC’s representatives, Aiolos will ensure that their unique performance requirements, including: wind speed, temperature (-50 to +60 degrees C), humidity, solar simulation, and provision for snow, are achieved. The facility was operational in 2015.
Hot Room for Heavy Trucks
Aiolos provided engineering design and turnkey project management services for the supply of a Hot Room test facility for Navistar’s state-of-the-art Test and Development Center in Melrose Park, Ill.
FAW Automotive Climatic Wind Tunnels
Aiolos provided engineering services for the Design and Integration of two new Climatic Wind Tunnels for FAW, China’s largest automotive company. In partnership with Ultitech Corporation, Aiolos services will ensure these new CWTs provide the client with the advanced environmental and aerodynamic simulation they need for their automobile R&D activities. The facility will be operational in 2022.
Vehicle Environmental Test Chamber (VETC) for Client in S. Korea
Aiolos designed, supervised the construction of and conducted the commissioning for the VETC. The VETC provides climatic simulation for a range of environmental conditions for electric and hybrid vehicle development. The environmental simulations at this facility include: wind speed, air temperature, humidity plus simulation of rain/snow, solar and hot road. The facility was operational in 2014.
Daimler AG CWT
This facility consists of two climatic wind tunnels: one cold (KK) and one warm (WK). Under contract to Daimler, Aiolos provided the engineering and design, as well as model wind tunnel testing for this new Climatic Test Facility, located in Sindelfingen ( near Stuttgart). Aiolos also provided, for the wind tunnels, the project management, site supervision, startup and commissioning. Hardware procurement was provided by consortium partners MCE Stahl & Maschinenbau (Linz, Austria), and Imtech (Munich). The wind tunnels were completed in Spring 2011, and are capable of delivering wind speeds to 270 kph, and full climatic simulation.
UOIT CWT
The University of Ontario General Motors of Canada Centre of Excellence in Oshawa (in Ontario, Canada) includes a climatic tunnel that stands as a unique ‘one-stop shopping’ facility covering a wide range of features. Aiolos provided wind tunnel design, procurement assistance, site support, start up, commissioning and training to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. The facility allows full climatic testing with full spectrum solar simulation, blowing and falling snow simulation, rain simulation. It is complemented with a 4-post climate chamber capable of 19 G acceleration, and a Multi-Axis Shaker Table Test Cell. The CWT test section supports performance tests on running passenger vehicles, trucks, buses under climatic conditions with variable yaw; the flexible nozzle provides wind speeds to 240 kph. The facility has been operating since Summer 2011.
BMW EVZ
BMW’s new Energietechnisches Versuchszentrum (EVZ) is located in Munich, Germany. It enables BMW to conduct climatic testing in either of three climatic wind tunnels (the KWK, EWK, and UWK), as well as altitude testing in the EK, and also climatic testing in a cold test chamber (the KK). The EVZ was completed as a turnkey project by a joint venture arrangement with consortium partners MCE Stahl & Maschinenbau (Linz, Austria) and Imtech (Munich). Aiolos provided engineering, design, project management and commissioning services for this facility, in which is incorporated very a impressive combination of capabilities for complete testing under extreme climatic conditions including temperature, humidity, rain, snow, altitude. Aiolos also provided the model wind tunnel with the associated test program. The commissioning for the five wind tunnels / chambers was completed in Fall 2009.
Scania CD-5 Truck WindSpeed System
Design, supply, startup and commissioning of the CD-5 Wind Speed System was contracted (turnkey) to Aiolos by Scania Truck Development in Söndertälje, Sweden. The CD-5 was developed with a unique arrangement of modulating inlet, outlet and bypass louvers that control the use of ambient outside air to provide simulation of engine cooling airflow. It has been satisfying Scania’s need for heavy truck performance tests, component testing and drive-train evaluation since Spring 2006.
Johnson Matthey Emissions Test Facility
Johnson Matthey Plc contracted Aiolos to design and supply a vehicle emissions test facility at its new European Technology Centre located in Royston, UK. Two emissions laboratories are included: one for SULEV CVS analysis at ambient temperature; the other for legislative emissions testing at -7°C, cold start emissions testing at temperatures down to -20°C, and mileage accumulation at ambient temperature. Multi-vehicle thermal soak areas, for each of the standard testing temperatures, are strategically located adjacent to the labs. All facility equipment, instrumentation and climatic control are integrated into a complete system. The project included an in-depth concept development phase in which Aiolos worked closely with Johnson Matheystaff to rationalize requirements in order to arrive at a comprehensive facility definition. The laboratory complex has been fully operational since 2003.
GIE S2A Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel Complex
This wind tunnel complex was funded by a unique consortium of Peugeot Citroën, Renault Cars and the Centre National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM), formed to establish a center of excellence in automotive development in order to maintain the French auto industry’s strong position in the European market. Aiolos was the prime contractor for the flagship facilities, including the building, consisting of a 24 m² wind tunnel for aerodynamic and aero-acoustic testing of full scale cars and another one for aerodynamic testing of 2/5 scale model cars. The GIE project was completed on time in 2003, due in no small part to its partner for construction, Spie Batignolles of France.
HMC Snow/Rain CWT
The Hyundai Motor Company has a major R&D center in Namyang Korea with many aerodynamic and climatic test facilities. Aiolos constructed, on a turnkey basis, a 5.6 m² climatic wind tunnel facility which has the capability to simulate hazardous snow and rain driving conditions, as well as falling snow, under varying temperature conditions. This project, designated HSCWT, was completed in 2003 under very aggressive budget and time constraints. The Aiolos Korea staff had major procurement and site management responsibility and serves to show the strength of Aiolos local capability in Korea.
Volvo Truck CWT
The Volvo Truck Corporation contracted Aiolos to construct a 6.3 m² climatic wind tunnel designed for truck and bus drivetrain testing. The facility was optimized for high load testing at moderate driving speeds, over a temperature range of 10°C to 50 °C. The project involved several challenges, including developing an efficient return air circuit within a very restrictive building envelope and providing reduced background noise to aid vehicle operators in assessing drivetrain performance. Aiolos completed this successful project in 2001.
Volvo Car AWT Upgrade
Volvo Car Corp sole-sourced Aiolos to design, build, install and commission a test section insert for the 27m² slotted-wall test section to effect an increase in maximum wind speed from 200 to 250 kph. Included in the scope of supply was a portable boundary layer suction system which can be used to reduce the floor boundary layer thickness approaching a car when located on the chassis dynamometer. The insert system, which is removable in a short period of time, was completed in 2001.
GM Thermal/HVAC Climate Wind Tunnel Complex
Aiolos provided design services, as part of a consortium headed by Albert Kahn Associates to design and supply GM with three climatic wind tunnels: a new 50 ft² hot/cold CWT, a new 100 ft² hot/cold CWT and a refurbished existing 150 ft² hot CWT. All facilities were enclosed in a building provided by the consortium. The complex has been operational since 2000.
Ford UK Enviromental Test Laboratory (ETL)
The Ford Motor Company procured a large, self-contained Environmental Test Laboratory to greatly reduce the product development cycle time. The objective was to include all requisite test capability under one roof, with high productivity. The solution was to design and build a 4.65 m² CWT with altitude, a 2.5 m² CWT, a climate chamber with altitude and various preparation areas, soak rooms and a transfer area. Aiolos scope of supply on this project, which was operational in 2000, was engineering services and construction management assistance.
Sanden International CWT
Sanden International, Europe’s New Headquarters and Technical Centre in Bad Nauheim, Germany, features an Aiolos supplied 6m² Climatic Wind Tunnel. The wind tunnel, which became operational in 2000, was optimized for testing automobile air conditioning components and systems. Sanden set an aggressive humidity control specification because of the significant impact that humidity has on heat transfer. The resulting performance of Aiolos’ systems and controls exceeded Sanden’s specification giving Sanden a one-of-a-kind facility and setting the standard for the future.
Lola Cars International 50% Scale Wind Tunnel
This project was unique in that it involved a transformation of an existing aeronautical wind tunnel into a racing wind tunnel suitable for testing 50% scale open-wheeled models. Aiolos provided, on a turnkey basis, re-erection of the former BAE 9ft x 7ft wind tunnel, plus a new test leg incorporating a 2.7m x 2.5m solid-wall test section optimized for F1 class vehicles, and the design of new fan blades to accommodate the increased performance. The facility, which became operational in 1999, includes an overhead balance and moving ground (rolling road) system.
HMC Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel (HAWT)
This wind tunnel has become the flagship facility for Hyundai Motor Company at their Namyang R&D Centre near Seoul, Korea. The major test capabilities of this wind tunnel, designated HAWT, are aerodynamic testing, aeroacoustic testing and hot thermodynamic testing. Support equipment in the 28 m² open-jet test section include an underfloor external balance, a chassis dynamometer, probe traverse system, and a variety of acoustic instrumentation. The Aiolos scope of work included overall design and performance responsibility, and specialized hardware supply, under contract to HEC of Korea. HAWT became operational in 1998. A subsequent contract to Aiolos included relocation of the 25% scale model wind tunnel from the HMC site in Ulsan to the HAWT building.