The art of CFD Simulation in supporting Design

Few weeks ago Milan’s back on the stage as the main European cultural life center, thanks to the “Milan International Furniture Exhibition”, the largest trade fair of its kind in the world, visited by more than 500 thousand people.

In the meantime, the city center has been theatre of several amazing installations, which have offered, free of charge, the sight’s privilege of countless forms and effects by some of the most important designers’ creations.

Behind every artistic installation, is concealed a thorough engineering design plan, which allows to put into practice designers’ hunches and ideas. These artworks, visited by thousand people, have to be aligned to the highest quality and safety standards. Furthermore, given the extremely limited timetable for their assembly, they must show and achieve the required results since the first firing, without any chance of adjustment.

TecnoHit is proud to have been involved to flank Giò Forma architectural studio, previously author and well known for its Tree of Life (masterpiece at EXPO 2015), in designing the “Legendary Thrill” installation, thought to pay a tribute to the aviation pioneer Alberto Santos Dumont (1873-1932).

The installation, located next to Napoleonic “Arch of Peace”, beating heart of Milan’s fashion, is composed by a gallery which links the “Toll Houses” to whose inside are placed some mystery installations, conceived with the aim of “making the immaterial visible”.

For one of these, TecnoHit has been responsible of designing a wind tunnel, where the artist could make “material” the air streamlines, otherwise “invisible” to human eyes, thanks to smoke tracers, adopting the same procedure and techniques as in the real wind tunnels for aerodynamic tests.

One of the teething problems has been translating in practice terms, the qualitative demands of the customer, which faced the fluid dynamics world for the first time.

Further challenge has been working under very tight schedules, due to the close-up deadline to the exhibition date. The client’s request has been formulated, actually, only few weeks before the fair. It has been, indeed, a proper dare since the beginning of the project.

Fortunately, thanks to our wide experience in the CFD sector and supported by fluid-dynamics simulations, we have been able to get a clear idea about the global structure of the tunnel; everything based on the velocity value desired by the customer in the glass chamber and the geometric constraints given by the location.

Specifically, through several thermo-fluid-dynamic analysis, has been possible the evaluation of number and configuration of some key components, such as grids and honeycombs. The latter are extremely important since they force the turbulent and swirling air flow generated by the ventilators to be more uniform as possible. Moreover, the pressure losses obtained during the study, has led to a quick but accurate dimensioning of the fans, which must be able to provide 100.000 m3/h of air, respecting the speed of 50 km/h (proof chamber), demanded by the client.

The numerical CFD, has allowed to observe in advance, the quality and uniformity of the fluid vein inside the exhibition chamber, before it was built. In this way, the effects imagined in the designer vision, have been guaranteed.

Obviously TecnoHit, beyond the analysis and planning work, has supported the customer also in the research of suppliers and equipment most focused on the target; from the fans (2 axial ventilators – 11 KW each), grids, honeycombs and the choice of the smoke machine.

We are proud to have offered our humble contribution to this work success, approved by thousands of visitors and priced by the excellent feedback our client has received by most of the public and insiders.

We’re pleased of having brought a great design and engineering opera, closer to general-interest public. We have been able to show something that for many people, generally far from industrial sectors, such as automotive or aerospace, remains invisible. As it recited on the billboard:

“Observing the inside of a wind tunnel is a rare privilege. Its results are often industrial or military secrets.”

This important achievement, demonstrates how the numerical simulation is becoming a crucial tool in supporting artistic or industrial design, especially in the experience illustrated above, where the factor time is the dominant variable. Only thanks to the numerical approach and virtual prototyping is possible taking fast and decisive choices, shortening significantly , project timing and industrial production.

The constant symbiosis between simulation and design, which is practiced in TecnoHit everyday, allow us to face any kind of challenge, also the one that look more prohibitive.