The Swiss technology group Huber+Suhner is producing the first rotor blades for wind tunnels to be made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastics (CFC). This material is lighter and quieter than the conventional aluminium and allows higher speeds to be reached. The newly developed rotor blades will be put to use for the first time in a wind tunnel for Volvo Car Corporation. The Volvo wind tunnel is currently the most advanced of its kind in the automotive industry and can simulate wind speeds of over 240km/h (149mph). At the heart of the facility are the new rotor blades.
Huber+Suhner developed the rotor blades on behalf of specialist firm Howden Ventilatoren GmbH from Heidenheim in Germany, who are supplying an aero-acoustic wind tunnel facility to Volvo Cars in Gothenburg. The rotor blades are being manufactured at the company’s plant at Pfäffikon (Switzerland), where fresh water and waste water tanks are produced for Airbus aircraft using identical fibres and a similar production process.