Notre Dame Expands Aerospace Research Facility

The University of Notre Dame has opened new laboratory space at its Hessert Laboratory for Aerospace Research at White Field. 

 

The new laboratory space includes five turbo-machine test cells, a two-phase combustion lab, a hypersonic combustion lab, and a Mach 6.0 low-disturbance wind tunnel. The expansion of the Hessert Laboratory at White Field was largely driven by the rapid growth of turbo-machine research at Notre Dame that has come through partnerships with General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, and Honeywell.

 

The White Field facility opened in 2008 and was primarily designed to house three facilities: a 1750hp Mach 0.6 wind tunnel, a 400hp transonic compressor facility, and an 800hp transonic turbine facility. A component of the University's Center for Flow Physics and Control (FlowPac), the White Field Laboratory was designed to enhance the Notre Dame's long history of aerospace research through the use of wind tunnels and other simulation equipment. The lab enables researchers to run experiments at high speeds, much closer to real flight conditions, including experiments preparing for the coming generations of ultra-efficient airplanes, including pilotless vehicles.

 

The White Field location also includes a laboratory for enhanced wind energy research, titled "eWiND." That research program is aimed at developing revolutionary designs that will involve "virtual aerodynamic shaping" for enhanced wind energy capture of wind turbines. The laboratory provides a research environment for multidisciplinary investigations including fluid dynamics, acoustics, fluid-structure interaction, design optimization, materials, failure modeling, system feedback and control, and atmospheric turbulence.

 

The eWiND initiative is a key component of Notre Dame's Strategic Research Investment program that has allocated $80 million of Notre Dame’s own money to advance the scope, excellence, and visibility of its research enterprise.