Wind Tunnel

Sediment Transport Wind Tunnel:

The Sediment Transport Wind Tunnel at UCLA is uniquely designed to study the interactions between wind planetary surfaces. Including a subsiding section to study how the geologic record forms, the wind tunnel’s accessories allow for the study of sediment transport, deposition, erosion, bedform formation, and much more. Ongoing projects focus on questions for both Earth and Mars. We strategically use a range of materials to study transport with the eventual goal of understanding wind-sand interactions in arbitrary fluid-gravity conditions. 

Building the tunnel – 2018-2019

Sediment transport wind tunnel construction. Dominantly acrylic and extruded aluminum, the wind tunnel sits on a 7-meter wooden platform to allow access underneath the tunnel floor.

Recent Research in the Wind Tunnel

New research and experiments are being conducted in the wind tunnel all the time. Here are some recent activities:

Bretzfelder, J. and M. Day, “Wind tunnel analog for aeolian sediment motion under planetary conditions,” 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2023), https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/2881.pdf

Sneed, J., M. Day, K. Stack, and A. Fraeman, “Experimental Hypothesis Testing of the Origins of Periodic Bedrock Ridges,” 6th International Planetary Dunes Workshop (2020), #3040. Virtual meeting due to COVID-19. https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/dunes2020/pdf/3040.pdf