Article
Article
Water tunnel (research and testing)
Article By:
Rothblum, Richard Stone David W. Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center, Bethesda, Maryland.
Etter, Robert J. David W. Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center, Bethesda, Maryland.
Ceccio, Steven L. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Last reviewed:June 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.739500
A hydrodynamic facility used for research, test, and evaluation, comprising a well-guided and controlled stream of water in which items for test are placed. The water tunnel is in many ways similar in appearance, arrangement, and operation to a subsonic wind tunnel. It is related to and complementary to the towing tank, in which the test item, usually a scale model of a ship or ship component, is towed through stationary water and evaluated through observation and measurement. In a water tunnel the test item is held stationary while the water is circulated around it. Many water tunnels are capable of operation with variable internal pressure to simulate the phenomenon of cavitation. See also: Cavitation; Towing tank; Wind tunnel
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
