Ford will be releasing its new vehicles which will be quieter thanks to a new testing method called aeroacoustic mobile wind tunnel testing.
With this testing method, Ford says that unnecessary or unwanted wind noise could be eliminated in the design or concept stage itself thanks to this new method of mobile wind tunnel testing.
With this system in place, problems that are identified earlier can also be solved sooner. In the end, the customer gets to drive a vehicle which can block unnecessary sounds and improve driving experience.
Ford wind noise core supervisor Bill Gulker said: "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.
"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 already has $50m full-sized wind tunnel testing facility at Allen Park, Michigan which is fitted with sensitive measuring and analysis equipment. Ford says that due to the cost of these systems, it might not be economical to run these systems.
So, Ford had come up with a new mobile wind tunnel that costs a fraction of a full-sized wind tunnel. As the testing requires a steady-stream of highway-speed wind, many high-tech sensors or equipment are not required. This also reduced the cost of the wind tunnel significantly.
Ford says that with a simpler and smaller wind tunnel model, it can be easier to pull out vehicles from the production line and test them randomly without any delay.
The mini-wind tunnel itself has been built using two 53 foot shipping containers, each with aeroacoustic vanes and internal ducting to provide smooth and controlled airflow at the nozzle end of the machine.
According to Ford, instead of bringing all the vehicles that need to be tested, this mini-wind tunnel can be taken anywhere and vehicles can be tested.
