Wind tunnel experiment at CSTB, Nantes, France, showing a simulation of how snowdrifts might form in a region of the Alps where it is intended to cons
Wind tunnel experiment at CSTB, Nantes, France, showing a simulation of how snowdrifts might form in a region of the Alps where it is intended to construct a road. Here, the flow of snow that swirls around the model pedestrians is, in fact, particles of magnesium carbonate. Installed in 1979, the CSTB tunnel can create winds of over 100 km/hour through an area 4 meters wide by 2 meters in height. Models are built at a scale of 1/100 or 1/200. Subjects recently studied have included turbulence studies of the IBM tower in La Defense, a high-rise area of Paris, the Pyramid at the Louvre and ESA's Ariane rocket.
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Photo credit: © PHILIPPE PLAILLY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: construction, dispersal, engineering, modelling, road, snow, snowdrift, technology, tunnel, wind