Minister Pupatello is Blown Away By One-of-a-Kind Climatic Wind Tunnel
Minister encourages the world to come and see what Ontario has to offer
October 18, 2010
"The new Automotive Centre of Excellence is an impressive world-class facility with a climatic wind tunnel that will simply blow you away," said Minister Pupatello. "Our government's support means that ACE will expand the culture of discovery in Ontario leading to new innovations and breakthroughs, in multiple sectors, creating new business growth and a stronger economy. I encourage everyone to come and see what Ontario has to offer."
During the tour, Minister Pupatello and President Bordessa walked around the inside of the massive ACE climatic wind tunnel. In this one-of-a-kind test chamber wind speeds can exceed 240 kilometres per hour, temperatures can range from -40C to 60C, and relative humidity can range from five to 95 per cent. It also has a large yawing chassis dynamometer that can, for the first time anywhere, test properties in cross winds. The climatic wind tunnel also has a solar array that can replicate the effects of the sun and is hydrogen capable allowing for alternative fuel cell development.
"ACE is a tremendous addition to the university as it will reinforce that UOIT is a leader in the area of automotive engineering, design, testing and validation," said Dr. Bordessa. "It will foster greater collaboration between cutting edge businesses, top researchers and some of our best and brightest students. In fact, this is where the students of today will be trained for the jobs of tomorrow."
The Automotive Centre of Excellence has a full range of test chambers and research space, including:
- A large and a small climate chamber that allow for tests under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity. The large climate chamber also has an input dynamometer and a solar array;
- A four-poster shaker chamber to test products in an up and down motion for suspension and body durability and the detection of squeak or rattle;
- A multi-axis shaker table (MAST) in a hemi-anechoic chamber to test products for structural durability and the detection of noise and vibration in three dimensions; and
- An integrated research and training facility that spans five floors with space dedicated for research, education and training. It has offices, laboratories, conference rooms and common work areas.
In addition to conventional automotive applications, ACE will be suitable for testing alternate fuel, hybrid and electric energy vehicles. It will be large enough to accommodate trucks, full coach buses, light rail transit, military and agricultural vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels. Furthermore, ACE has the potential to be used to train military personnel, rescue crews or competitive athletes, to carry out performance testing of outdoor survival gear, to assist the movie industry or test products that are subject to severe wind, humidity, snow, icing or desert heat.
ACE was developed in partnership with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, General Motors of Canada, the Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE), the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada. Through the Beacon Project and other programs the Government of Ontario contributed $80 million of the facility's $99 million total cost.
ACE is in the early stages of commissioning and benchmarking and will be open to clients in early 2011.
About Ontario Tech University
A modern, forwarding-thinking university, Ontario Tech advances the discovery and application of knowledge to accelerate economic growth, regional development and social innovation. We inspire and equip our students and our graduates to make a positive impact in a tech-focused world. For us, it’s not only about developing the next tech breakthrough. Understanding and integrating the social and ethical implications of technology differentiates us as university. Learn more at ontariotechu.ca.
Media contact
Bryan Oliver
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
905.721.8668 ext. 2209
289.928.3653
bryan.oliver@uoit.ca
