• Cabin quietness is a leading driver in consumer purchase consideration; Ford has developed a world-first mobile aeroacoustic wind tunnel to help ensure quietest cabins possible
• Patent-pending tunnel can produce wind speeds up to 80 mph, then be broken down and reassembled in just hours at any Ford assembly plant in North America; mobile wind tunnel supports vehicle launches to help improve quality
  
• New tunnel benefits Ford wind noise engineers both professionally and personally – improving productivity by reducing test cycles from weeks to hours, and shortening time spent on the road to enable a better work-life balance
  

DEARBORN, Mich., May 4, 2016 – Consumers want quieter vehicles – it’s a leading purchase consideration among those looking for a new car. So Ford has come up with a better way to make its vehicles even quieter.

The world’s first fully mobile aeroacoustic wind tunnel is an innovative, patent-pending test system that allows for sources of unwanted wind noise in early production vehicles to be identified faster and solutions developed sooner. In the end, customers drive away in cars designed with a quiet interior that’s so essential to delivering a refined vehicle experience. 

“This project was born from a desire to be the best when it comes to controlling and limiting the cabin noise customers are so sensitive to,” said Bill Gulker, Ford wind noise core supervisor. “And our new mobile wind tunnel saves our engineers time and increases productivity. It’s a fine example of the innovation mindset we’re trying to incorporate into everything we do.”

Ford’s new wind tunnel debuts at Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan – joining a growing fleet of mobile testing facilities including three environmental evaluation chambers.

Changing the business of quiet
Full-sized aerodynamics labs, such as Ford’s main wind tunnel in Allen Park, Michigan, are outfitted with the latest in sensitive measuring and analysis equipment. These office building-sized facilities are specialized for advanced aerodynamic and aeroacoustic development work on future models, with each facility costing about $50 million. Due to the specialized instruments and cost, running time for these machines is precious.

Ford’s new mobile wind tunnel costs a fraction of what a full-sized lab costs. Because testing requires only a steady stream of highway-speed wind, many of the large and sensitive instruments of a full aero lab aren’t required. But high-tech, in-cabin sensors like the Aachen head and Noise Vision can still be used.

With an on-site wind noise facility, Ford factories can pull more sample vehicles directly from the line and test them with no delay – eliminating the time and complexity of shipping vehicles back and forth across the country.

Issues requiring assembly process refinement can be detected and resolved earlier, since everybody involved is on hand.

“Now, we’re able to detect even the most subtle noises,” said Gulker. “We can identify an area in need of improvement, have key people gather, communicate quickly, and resolve the issue without delay.”

Rethinking the idea of a wind tunnel
Similar in concept to a full-scale wind tunnel laboratory, the heart of the mobile facility is built inside two 53-foot shipping containers. Each includes aeroacoustic vanes and internal ducting to provide smooth, controlled airflow at the nozzle end of the machine, while two 16-bladed, six-foot-diameter ducted fans – each powered by a 250-horsepower electric motor – deliver a maximum blast of 80-mph wind. A series of doors around the containers ensure the sections remain secure during transport or storage.

The machine consists of the two main containers fastened together side by side on flat, level tarmac. In between, two roll-up doors are lifted, while doors on the front and back ends are opened to create the air intake and outlet nozzle. A third, 40-foot container – housing a small office, power distribution and controls – is placed nearby, and data and power cabling are connected between the containers.

The entire operation can be broken down within a day, shipped to any Ford North American assembly facility via truck, then reassembled at the new site and ready for testing within hours.

Agility, and the drive for quality
Ford’s ability to perform wind noise testing at the plants means its main wind tunnel in Allen Park is now freed up to concentrate on product development work for future models. This can lead to more time spent on each new vehicle, shortened development times and, ultimately, not only quieter cabins, but better fuel economy.

The new mobile wind tunnel is an example of the kind of out-of-the-box thinking Ford employees are encouraged to embrace, and it directly benefits the company’s wind noise engineers both personally and professionally. They can now work more efficiently, as they no longer have to spend so much time away from their families, traveling to and from plants and the main facility.

Fast facts about Ford’s industry-first mobile wind tunnel

• Maximum sustained wind speed: 80 mph
• Maximum system power: 500 horsepower
• Diameter of each ducted fan: Six feet
• Facility capability: 24-hour-a-day operation by two workers
• Enormous power distribution cables weigh 10 pounds per foot, each plug weighs 40 pounds; in total, each 100-foot cable weighs approximately 1,080 pounds 
• In spite of the machine’s huge power, it registers just 75 decibels at a distance of six feet from the test area – roughly equivalent to a telephone dial tone