Doors Open Ottawa (held a few weeks ago) offered us the opportunity to look inside a building we have often passed on our way to the airport - a National Research Council wind tunnel.
This is the first year the building has been open to the public during
Doors Open Ottawa, and the wait was long... About an hour outside, before entering the building.
(The line-up resumed inside, as well.)
We eventually arrived at several open spaces where we saw demonstrations of the kind of work that is done there...
And why...
I discovered that research has been done to discover which fabric is most wind-efficient for making suits for ski racers and speed skaters.
After testing a number of fabrics, researchers discovered that different ones tested were better for different parts of the suit. Consequently, a mix of fabrics goes into making the suits.
Vehicle efficiency is regularly tested in different wind speeds - to see how certain shapes of mirrors, for example, affect drag - resulting in less fuel efficiency.
All in all, an interesting place to visit.
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