JP2014215259A - Snowstorm generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a snowstorm generator for distributing a snowstorm over a desired wide range without disturbing an air current on which the snowstorm rides, in simulating the snowstorm by making snow ride on the air current from behind.SOLUTION: A snowstorm generator is used for simulating a snowstorm by making snow ride on an air current. The snowstorm generator has a snow feed pipe 40 pressure-feeding snow by the air current and having a blowout nozzle 36 at its tip. The blowout nozzle 36 is arranged in the snow blowout direction along a parallel flow on the upstream side of a throttle part of an air duct 16 in the air duct 16 in which the air current of the parallel flow flows toward an object. An orifice throttle opening is provided at a blowout port of the blowout nozzle 36.

Description

  The present invention relates to a snowstorm generating device, and more specifically, when simulating a snowstorm by placing snow on an airflow from behind, the snowstorm is distributed over a desired wide range and the airflow carrying the snowstorm is disturbed. There is no snowstorm generator.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an environmental test room has been used for placing a complete model vehicle indoors, setting various natural environments and weather conditions, and collecting and analyzing loads on the vehicle as data.
As an example, we simulate snowstorms with artificial snow in an environmental test room, blow off the snowstorms toward the vehicle, and deal with problems such as problems caused by snow in the engine room and icing problems such as freezing of suspension parts. Things have been done.

For this reason, an environmental test room has a wind tunnel of a space enough for a vehicle to be arranged and blowing a snowstorm toward the vehicle, and a snowstorm generating device.
The snowstorm generator is simulated by an ice making machine that produces flaky ice pieces, an ice breaker that breaks the produced flaky ice pieces into ice particles of a predetermined particle size, and ice particles of a predetermined particle size that are crushed ice A pipe that conveys the artificial snow into the wind tunnel, and a blowing nozzle that is installed at the tip of the pipe and blows out toward the front of the vehicle.
According to such an environmental test room, it is possible to perform an environmental test simulating natural environment and weather conditions by blowing a snowstorm toward a vehicle in a wind tunnel using a snowstorm generator.

At this time, in order to perform an appropriate and effective environmental test, it is necessary to simulate a snowstorm in a natural state. In particular, from the viewpoint of reproducing the adhesion of the snowstorm to a vehicle, the temperature and particle size of the snow constituting the snowstorm Furthermore, it is important to secure the amount of snow necessary for the test.
On the other hand, in the wind tunnel where the vehicle is placed, there is a restriction that the distance between the vehicle and the air flow outlet is short (about 1 to 2 meters), and a natural snowstorm is simulated between these short distances, Need to spray on the vehicle.

In this regard, the present inventor has proposed that a diffusion plate is provided in front of the blowing nozzle disposed outside the wind tunnel so as to face the blowing nozzle. More specifically, the snow blown out from the air outlet rides on the airflow and flows as a snowstorm along the direction of the airflow, and the snowstorm blows out to a predetermined position outside the air outlet and in front of the airflow direction. The snowstorm hits the opposing surface of the diffusion plate arranged to face the mouth, and the snowstorm diffused outwards in all directions along the opposing surface, and the diffused snowstorm flowed further along the airflow, behind the opposing surface. The snowstorm will also circulate in the area, and at that time, by adjusting the speed of the airflow, the spatial distribution through which the snowstorm flows can be expanded as desired.
However, such a diffusion technique has the following technical problems.

First, the natural blowing condition cannot be accurately reproduced due to the arrangement of the blowing nozzle outside the wind tunnel.
More specifically, when the blowing nozzle is arranged outside the wind tunnel, the airflow from behind the blowing nozzle is disturbed in the wind tunnel. In particular, in order to realize a desired concentration level distribution of snowstorm in the height direction of the vehicle, when a plurality of blowing nozzles are arranged at intervals in the height direction, the air flow is disturbed by that amount, and accurate It becomes difficult to conduct a snow environment test.

Second, it is difficult to distribute the snowstorm over a desired wide range due to the snowstorm adhering to the opposing surface of the diffusion plate. More specifically, since the snow blown out from the blowing nozzle hits the facing surface of the diffusion plate and is deflected thereby, the snow adheres to the facing surface over time, so that it faces The surface shape of the surface fluctuates so that the range of snowstorm is narrowed. This is particularly noticeable in wet snow with a high water content.
As described above, if the blowing nozzle is arranged outside the wind tunnel, the distance between the blowing nozzle and the vehicle becomes short, and if the desired spread is given to the snowstorm between the distances, the above problems Is caused.

In view of the above technical problems, the object of the present invention is to distribute a snowstorm over a desired wide range and to disturb the airflow to carry a snowstorm when simulating a snowstorm by placing snow on the airflow from behind. There is no snowstorm generating device.
In view of the above technical problems, the object of the present invention is to simulate the snowstorm by placing snow on the airflow from behind, and to blow the snowflow toward the test body without disturbing the airflow on which the snowstorm is placed. An object of the present invention is to provide a snowstorm generating device capable of performing a precise snow environment test by uniformly distributing snowstorms over a direction.

In order to achieve the above object, a snowstorm generating device of the present invention comprises:
A snowstorm generator that simulates a snowstorm by placing snow in an air current,
Snow is pumped by airflow, and has a snow supply pipe having a blowing nozzle at the tip,
The blowing nozzle is arranged in a wind tunnel for flowing a parallel flow toward the target, upstream of the narrowed portion of the wind tunnel, in a direction to blow snow along the parallel flow,
An orifice restrictor opening is provided at the outlet of the outlet nozzle.

According to the snowstorm generating device having the above-described configuration, the snow that is pumped by the airflow through the snow supply pipe toward the blowing nozzle is once throttled by the orifice throttle opening provided in the blowing outlet and then released to the outside. It is possible to widen when blowing out, and by adjusting the degree of throttling in relation to the air flow velocity, it is possible to achieve the desired spread of snow blowing and the blowing nozzle that blows out the snow In the inside of the wind tunnel, it is arranged upstream of the constricted part of the wind tunnel in a direction to blow out the snow along the parallel flow of air flowing toward the target, so that, for example, blowing snow is prevented while not disturbing the parallel flow of air from the wind tunnel. In the snow environment test used, it is possible to secure the distance between the specimen and the blowing nozzle, so snow is simulated by placing snow on the airflow from behind. Time, it is possible to make a desired wide with diffuse distribution of snowstorm over, do not disturb the airflow to put a snowstorm.
Here, “snow” has a broad meaning that includes both snowflakes in which snowflakes overlap like natural snow and snow particles like artificial snow made of ice particles. "Has a broad meaning which means not only a snowstorm state due to snowfall but also a situation in which such snowflakes or snow particles move due to wind or passing of a car.

The orifice aperture opening may be formed by an annular portion provided over the inner peripheral surface of the blowing nozzle at the blowing port.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the annular portion has a curved surface in which an inner peripheral surface forming the orifice throttle opening extends in an upstream direction toward the inner peripheral surface of the blowout nozzle.
Still further, in the curved surface, an inner edge portion of a cross section along the longitudinal direction of the snow supply pipe preferably has a quarter arc shape.
In addition, the curved surface may be provided in the vicinity of the outlet of the outlet nozzle so as to form the narrowest portion at a predetermined position upstream from the orifice throttle opening.

Further, the annular portion is a ring-shaped plate, and the flat portion facing the inside of the blowing nozzle forms an adhesion surface of snow that is pumped from the upstream side, and the outer shape of the snow that adheres thereby is the flow of the pumping airflow. It may be a shape along the outermost shape of the bundle.
Furthermore, the snowstorm is blown out toward a stationary vehicle disposed in the wind tunnel, and is used to perform a snow environment test on the stationary vehicle.
The distance between the outlet and the vehicle is 3 meters or more;
A plurality of the blowing nozzles are provided at intervals in the height direction so as to cover the entire height of the vehicle within the range of the throttle portion of the wind tunnel,
The amount of snow blown out from each outlet can be adjusted independently of each other,
Depending on the height of the vehicle, it may be possible to adjust the concentration distribution of the snowstorm.
In addition, the snow may be artificial snow that breaks ice pieces that have been made into ice particles.
Further, the snow may be artificial crystal snow generated using cold air having a predetermined humidity and a predetermined temperature.
Furthermore, the snow may be natural snow.
In addition, the position of the orifice throttle opening is preferably adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the snow supply pipe in the vicinity of the outlet of the outlet nozzle.
Further, the blowing nozzle is supported by an airfoil guide disposed in the wind tunnel,
The airfoil guide has a hollow portion, the cross-sectional shape is an airfoil, the longitudinal direction of the airfoil is disposed in a direction along the air flow generated in the wind tunnel, and opens outside the wind tunnel,
It is preferable that the snow supply pipe is accommodated in the hollow portion and pulled out from the hollow portion outside the wind tunnel.

In order to achieve the above object, a snowstorm generating device of the present invention comprises:
A snowstorm generator that simulates a snowstorm by placing snow in an air current,
Snow is pumped by airflow, and has a snow supply pipe having a blowing nozzle at the tip,
The blowing nozzle is arranged in a wind tunnel for flowing a parallel flow toward the target, upstream of the narrowed portion of the wind tunnel, in a direction to blow snow along the parallel flow,
A diffusion plate facing the blowing nozzle is disposed outside the blowing nozzle and at a predetermined position in front of the airflow direction,
Thereby, the blowing snow blown out from the blowing nozzle and generated along the air flow traveling direction on the air flow is deflected against the diffusion plate and diffused toward the outer sides of the diffusion plate.

According to the snowstorm generator having the above-described configuration, the snow blown out from the air outlet rides on the airflow and flows as a snowstorm along the direction of the airflow, and the snowstorm is outside the air outlet, It hits the facing surface arranged to face the outlet at a predetermined position in the front of the traveling direction, the snowstorm diffuses outward in all directions along the facing surface, and the diffused snowstorm flows further along the airflow, The snowstorm will also circulate in the area behind the opposing surface. At that time, by adjusting the speed of the airflow, the spatial distribution of the snowstorm can be expanded as desired, and the blowing nozzle that blows out the snow is connected to the wind tunnel. In the inside of the wind tunnel, it is arranged upstream of the constricted part of the wind tunnel in a direction to blow out snow along the parallel flow air flow toward the target. Since it is possible to secure the distance between the specimen and the blowout nozzle in the snow environment test using, the snowstorm is diffused and distributed over a desired wide range when simulating snowstorm by placing snow on the airflow from behind At the same time, it is possible not to disturb the airflow that carries the snowstorm.

Moreover, the said diffuser plate is a planar point-symmetrical shape, It is good to arrange | position so that it may be arrange | positioned in the direction substantially orthogonal to the advancing direction of an air flow, and the symmetry center may overlap with the center of the said blowing outlet.
Furthermore, the snowstorm is blown out toward a stationary vehicle located in the wind tunnel, and is used to perform a snow environment test on the stationary vehicle.
When the traveling vehicle is simulated using a stationary vehicle by adjusting the speed of the airflow toward the vehicle, the orifice throttle opening or the diffusion plate may be selected according to the speed of the airflow.
Furthermore, when the velocity of the airflow is 60 km / h or less, the orifice throttle opening is selected, and when it is 80 to 120 km / h, the diffusion plate is selected.
In addition, a plurality of the snow supply pipes are provided at predetermined intervals in the height direction,
Among the plurality of snow supply pipes, the diffusion nozzle is provided in the blowing nozzle of the lowest level snow supply pipe,
The diffusion plate is preferably installed obliquely upward along the traveling direction of the airflow so that the snowstorm is deflected against the diffusion plate and diffused obliquely upward.

The snowstorm generator of the present invention will be described in detail below, taking as an example the case where a snowstorm is simulated by the snowstorm generator of the present invention and used for a snow environment test.
First, the snow environment test system will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the snow environment test system 10 uses artificial snow composed of ice particles and simulates a snowstorm by placing the artificial snow on an airflow from behind. Thus, it is configured to spray toward the vehicle V, which is a test specimen, and for that purpose, it has a snowstorm supply system 12 and an airflow supply system 14.
In particular, when continuously blowing toward the vehicle V using the required amount of snowstorm with a predetermined snow quality, where the particle size and moisture content of ice particles are the main influencing factors, the entire height of the vehicle V In order to achieve a desired snowstorm concentration distribution in the height direction of the vehicle V in some cases, a group of ice particles used as artificial snow is manufactured immediately before the test under a predetermined temperature and humidity control. And prompt supply is required.

More specifically, the snow environment test system 10 includes a wind tunnel 16 in which the vehicle V to be tested is disposed, a low temperature chamber 18 disposed above the wind tunnel 16, and an ice making chamber disposed above the low temperature chamber 18. 20, an ice making machine 22 is arranged in the ice making chamber 20, and an ice temperature stabilizing conveyor 24, an ice breaker 26, a blower 28, a cooler 30, and artificial snow distribution are arranged in the low temperature chamber 18. A device 34 is disposed, and a wet snow device 32, an artificial snow blowing nozzle 36, and a snow collecting device 38 are disposed in the wind tunnel 16. In general, ice pieces made in the ice making chamber 20 are cooled at low temperature. Artificial snow is manufactured by crushed ice in the chamber 18 and pulverizing into ice, and the artificial snow is pumped toward the wind tunnel 16 to distribute wet artificial snow into the low temperature air current in the wind tunnel 16. It is configured to be put on snowstorm and sprayed toward vehicle V To have.

The wind tunnel 16 is an open type circulation type, and a measurement chamber 300 in which a vehicle to be measured is installed (open type), and first to fourth bent cylinders 302, 304, 306, 308 (bent portions). Are formed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The air flow generated by the blower 25 passes through the second diffusion cylinder 310, the third bending cylinder 306, the fourth bending cylinder 308, the rectifying cylinder 312 (see FIG. 2), and the contracted flow cylinder 314 (see FIG. 2), and the measurement chamber 300. The air flows into the measurement chamber 300 from the blowout port 316 (see FIG. 2), and flows through the first bending cylinder 302 and the second bending cylinder 304 in this order.
The airflow blown by the blower 25 is measured by once reducing the wind speed (dynamic pressure) of the entire airflow and increasing the pressure (static pressure) in the intermediate body portion, and then passing through the contracted flow drum 314. Therefore, an air flow having a necessary and sufficient air volume (wind speed) can be blown out from the blow-out port 316 to the measurement chamber 300.

As a result, as will be described later, the ice particles that are conveyed by air through the ice making process, the ice breaking process, the separation process, and the wet snow process are blown into the measurement chamber 300 by riding on the airflow from the back toward the vehicle. By adjusting the wind speed of the airflow with the blower 25, the traveling vehicle can be simulated while being a stationary vehicle.
Further, in the case of the circulating wind tunnel 16 for a snowstorm test, a snow repair device 38 is separately provided downstream of the vehicle V in order to separate and collect the snow after the test. In order to separate snow by the inertia effect, an area where the airflow is not rectified is provided downstream of the vehicle V.

The snow blowing supply system 12 is provided in three systems. In each system, a snow supply pipe 40 that connects the ice breaker 26 and the blowing nozzle 36 and an air duct 44 that connects the suction port 42 in the wind tunnel 16 and the ice breaker 26 are provided. In the snow supply pipe 40, an artificial snow distribution device 34 and a wet snow device 32 are connected in this order between the ice breaker 26 and the blowing nozzle 36, while the air duct 44 has an inside of the wind tunnel 16. A blower 28 and a cooler 30 are connected between the suction port 42 and the ice breaker 26.
The artificial snow distribution device 34 is installed on the upstream side of the wet snow device 32. If the artificial snow distribution device 34 is installed on the downstream side, the wet snow is sent to the distribution device 34, and the inside of the distribution device 34 This is to prevent clogging due to adhesion.

The ice making machine 22 is a so-called reamer type ice making machine 22 that produces flaky ice pieces, and a plurality of ice making machines 22 that produce cracked ice pieces according to the total required amount of artificial snow used in the snow environment test. By selecting an arbitrary number from the above and making ice with the selected ice making machine 22 according to the change in the required amount of artificial snow used for the environmental test, the ice making amount is roughly adjusted and the artificial snow used for the environmental test In accordance with the difference between the required amount of artificial snow and the roughly adjusted ice making amount, the evaporating temperature and / or the water temperature and / or the reamer rotation speed are selected in each selected ice making machine 22 in accordance with the difference in the required amount of snow. It has a control device (not shown) that finely adjusts the amount of ice making by adjusting.

The ice crusher 26 mainly includes a rotary feeder (not shown) arranged at the upper part and a pair of crushing drums (not shown) arranged at the lower part, and is supplied by the ice temperature stabilizing conveyor 24. Ice pieces are quantified by a rotary feeder, supplied to a pair of crushing drums, crushed by a pair of crushing drums, and supplied to the snow supply pipe 40 as ice particles having a predetermined particle diameter.

The artificial snow distribution device 34 is used to distribute the artificial snow conveyed by the snow supply pipe 40 to a plurality of branch pipes (not shown). More specifically, the blowing nozzle 36 at the same level is used for the vehicle. The snow supply pipes 40 in each system are branched into a plurality of branch pipes in the width direction of the vehicle V so that a plurality of the snow supply pipes 40 are provided in the width direction of the vehicle V. A blowing nozzle 36 is provided at the tip of the nozzle.

The artificial snow distribution device 34 includes a rotating body (not shown) in which an upstream end face and a downstream end face are respectively arranged in parallel with a downstream end face of the snow supply pipe 40 and an upstream end face of each of the plurality of branch pipes; A rotation drive unit (not shown) that rotates the rotating body at a predetermined rotation speed about its axial direction, and the rotating body has a pressure feed passage (not shown) penetrating the rotating body in the axial direction inside thereof. ), And the pressure-feed passage is disposed on the upstream end face in a non-contact manner in close proximity to an outflow opening (not shown) provided on the downstream end face of the snow supply pipe 40 (not shown). And a discharge port (not shown) arranged in a non-contact manner in close proximity to an inflow opening (not shown) provided on the upstream end surface of each of the plurality of branch pipes. Equipped with a plurality of branch pipes on the passage trajectory of the discharge port by rotation of the rotating body Inlet openings respectively are provided so as to be located.

The wet snow device 32 has a hot air supply pipe (not shown) communicating with the snow supply pipe 40, and the hot air supply pipe has a predetermined length in the extending direction of the snow supply pipe 40 at the downstream end thereof. A hot air inflow portion (not shown) that forms an annular space that covers the entire outer peripheral surface of the snow supply pipe 40, and the hot air inflow opening (not shown) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the snow supply pipe 40 that is covered by the annular space. )) Are uniformly provided, whereby an aging space (heat exchange aging region) is formed in the snow supply pipe 40 on the downstream side of the portion where the hot air inflow portion of the snow supply pipe 40 is attached. It is designed to be wet and snowy.

Regarding the airflow supply system 14, the wind tunnel 16 is formed in a part of the circulation space, and is configured to blow snowstorm over the vehicle height of the vehicle V in one direction from the front to the rear of the vehicle V. Specifically, an air flow having a predetermined wind speed is generated in one direction from the front to the rear of the vehicle V by the blower 25 installed in the circulation space, and the air flow passes through the vehicle V to a predetermined temperature by the cooler 30. It is cooled and returned to the blower 25 to generate airflow again and repeat this.

With regard to the blowing device, the three blowing nozzles 36 for blowing snow 36 are arranged at a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle V at a predetermined distance in the height direction over the vehicle height of the vehicle V. The concentration of the snowstorm to be supplied can be adjusted for each blowing nozzle 36. A snow collecting device 38 is arranged at a predetermined distance behind the vehicle V, and the snowstorm that has passed through the snow collecting device 38 is blower arranged in the low temperature chamber 18 through the suction port 42 in the wind tunnel 16. 28, cooled by the cooler 30, returned to the ice breaker 26, iced by the ice making machine 22, supplied to the ice breaker 26 by the ice temperature stabilizing conveyor 24, mixed with the ice particles to be crushed, and supplied again with snow. It is used for blowing snow from the blowing nozzle 36 through the tube 40. The blowout nozzle 36 is arranged along the direction of airflow, and the blowout port 102 is installed in the zone of the airflow blown from the blower 25.

In this regard, snow blowing is performed when the snow blown out from each blowing nozzle 36 by the air blown by the blower 28 is blown toward the vehicle V on the air flow blown out from the blower 25. As long as snow clogging in the tube 40 does not occur, the speed is preferably as low as possible, and the speed of snow blowing is preferably simulated by the airflow blown from the blower 25.
More specifically, when the snowstorm is diffused by the orifice throttle opening 204 (described later) and blown toward the vehicle V, if the pumping speed of the pumping air is high, only the snowstorm at the portion of the blowing nozzle 36 has a high snowstorm speed. Thus, while deviating from a natural snowstorm, it is possible to uniformly vary the speed of the diffused snowstorm by changing the speed of the airflow blown from the blower 25. When simulating a vehicle, it is advantageous to vary the speed of the airflow blown from the blower 25.

  The wind tunnel 16 is not a so-called aerodynamic wind tunnel 16 but a simple wind tunnel 16. Since the blowing nozzle 36 is conventionally disposed outside the wind tunnel 16 near the vehicle V, the blowing nozzle 36 and the front portion of the vehicle V are arranged. As a result, it is difficult to ensure a sufficient distance from the airflow, and the snowstorm blown from the blowing nozzle 36 toward the vehicle V needs to be diffusely distributed as desired over a short distance (1 to 3 meters). As will be described below, by installing the blowing nozzle 36 in the wind tunnel 16, a sufficient distance D2 (FIG. 2) between the blowing nozzle 36 and the front portion of the vehicle V can be secured (3 meters or more). This makes it easy to achieve the desired diffusion distribution of the snowstorm.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, in each system, a plurality of blowing nozzles 36 are provided at intervals in the height direction so as to cover the entire height of the vehicle in the wind tunnel 16. The amount of snow that is ice particles blown out from each of the blowout ports 102 can be adjusted independently of each other, and the concentration distribution of the snowstorm can be adjusted according to the height of the vehicle.
For example, when a low-temperature airflow that reproduces the vehicle wind speed from behind the blowing nozzle 36 is 20 to 100 km / h to simulate a traveling vehicle, the vehicle is placed about 3 meters ahead of the blowing nozzle 36, and in that position, the natural world In order to reproduce the snowstorm, that is, to make the snow concentration (or snowstorm intensity) uniformly 50 to 500 kg / m2h in the vertical direction, the entire snowstorm reproduction is considered in consideration of the snowstorm state range indicated by one blowing nozzle 36. A plurality of blowing nozzles 36 may be appropriately disposed in the area to be reproduced to reproduce the snow blowing state as a whole.

As shown in FIG. 3, the concentration distribution of a natural snowstorm is different in the vertical direction in such a manner that the ground surface has the highest concentration and the concentration gradually decreases in the height direction. In order to simulate the concentration distribution of the snow, it is possible to easily change the snow concentration (or snow blowing intensity) by changing the amount of snow supplied to the arranged blowing nozzle 36 and by appropriately arranging the arranged blowing nozzle 36. From this point of view, it is only necessary to set the height direction interval of the blowing nozzle 36 provided in each of the three systems.

Each blow-off nozzle 36, in the wind tunnel 16 that flows parallel flow toward the vehicle V, spills snow along the parallel flow upstream from the boundary position T between the contracted portion 314 and the rectifying unit 312 of the wind tunnel 16. The orifice restrictor opening 204 is provided in the outlet 102 of the outlet nozzle 36, which is arranged in the direction of blowing.
As shown in FIG. 4, the orifice throttle opening 204 has a circular opening shape, and the orifice throttle opening 204 is opened immediately before the snow pressure-fed in the snow supply pipe 40 toward the blowing nozzle 36 is blown out. It is squeezed by passing and opened when blown to the outside so as to be diffused and distributed. The size of the circular opening may be determined from such a viewpoint.

The distance D1 between the blowing nozzle 36 and the inlet (boundary T) of the contracted portion 314 is, for example, 1 meter to 2 meters, and the blowing nozzle 36 that blows snow is located upstream of the constricted portion 202 of the wind tunnel 16 in the wind tunnel 16. Furthermore, since the snow is blown out along the parallel flow toward the vehicle V, it is possible to prevent the parallel flow from the wind tunnel 16 from being disturbed. A test can be performed.

The orifice throttle opening 204 may be formed integrally with the blowing nozzle 36, but as a separate body, the position of the orifice throttle opening 204 can be adjusted in the longitudinal direction of the snow supply pipe 40 in the vicinity of the blowing nozzle 102 of the blowing nozzle 36. It is good. As a result, the desired snowdrift diffusion distribution is affected by the flow rate of snow consisting of ice particles, that is, the pressured airflow velocity in the snow supply pipe 40, and the position of the orifice throttle opening 204 is changed to the snow according to the pressured airflow velocity. By finely adjusting the supply pipe 40 in the longitudinal direction, it is possible to achieve a desired snowstorm diffusion distribution before reaching the vehicle V. More specifically, as the position of the orifice aperture opening 204 is positioned away from the vehicle V, it is possible to increase the degree of snowstorm diffusion.

As shown in FIG. 4, the orifice throttle opening 204 is formed by an annular portion 208 provided over the inner peripheral surface 206 of the blowing nozzle 36 at the outlet 102, and the annular portion 208 forms the orifice throttle opening 204. The inner peripheral surface forms a curved surface extending in the upstream direction toward the inner peripheral surface 206 of the blowing nozzle 36. More specifically, on the curved surface, the inner edge portion 210 of the cross section along the longitudinal direction of the snow supply pipe 40 forms a quarter arc shape. As a result, the snow pressure-fed by the air flow toward the blowing nozzle 36 in the snow supply pipe 40 is once squeezed by the orifice throttle opening 204 provided in the blowing port 102 and then blown out by being released to the outside. It is possible to spread when. It is important that the airflow velocity in the blowout nozzle 36 is carried at a wind speed of 15 m / s or more so that the snowstorm particles to be carried are not clogged with snow adhesion in the nozzle.

      As shown in FIG. 5, as a modification, the curved surface is provided in the vicinity of the outlet 102 of the outlet nozzle 36 so as to form the narrowest portion 212 at a predetermined position upstream from the orifice throttle opening 204. It's okay. As a result, the snow that is pumped by the airflow toward the blowing nozzle 36 in the snow supply pipe 40 is squeezed by the narrowest portion 212 and then diffused by the curved surface on the downstream side of the narrowest portion 212. It is guided and can be blown out from the outlet 102. If the diameter D3 of the narrowest part 212, the inclination angle α on the upstream side of the narrowest part 212 of the curved surface, and the inclination angle β on the downstream side of the narrowest part 212 of the curved surface are determined from such viewpoints. Good.

As shown in FIG. 6, as a further modification, the annular portion 208 is a ring-shaped plate, and the flat portion 214 facing the inside of the blowing nozzle 36 forms an adhesion surface of snow pumped from upstream, thereby The outer shape of the adhering snow may be a shape that conforms to the outermost contour of the flux of the pumped airflow. Thereby, with time progress, you may make it form with the snow to which a curved surface adheres (dotted line part of FIG. 6).

When the blowing nozzle 36 is provided in the wind tunnel 16, it is necessary to provide it in the rectifying cylinder 312 on the upstream side of the contracted flow cylinder 314. At that time, the snow supply pipe 40 connected to the blowing nozzle 36 and the support mounting member of the blowing nozzle 36 must be installed in the rectifying cylinder 312, thereby disturbing the air flow in the wind tunnel 16. An airfoil hose guide 234 is provided.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the airfoil hose guide 234 has a rectangular shape and a transverse cross section, and is upright with the longitudinal direction of the airfoil oriented along the airflow in the wind tunnel 16. Be placed.
The shape of the wing is the same as that used for a conventionally known aircraft wing, and is determined from the viewpoint of minimizing the aerodynamic resistance against the airflow in the wind tunnel 16.

The airfoil hose guide 234 has a hollow inside, and the cross-section of the two rectangular plates 243 is joined to the vertical edges 236 and 238 so that the cross section of the airfoil hose guide 234 has the airfoil shape over the entire height direction. Composed. One vertical edge 236 disposed on the downstream side is provided with a plurality of elongated notches 240 in the horizontal direction at a predetermined interval in the height direction, and each elongated notch 240 includes The blowing nozzle 36 is inserted and supported.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the air outlets 102 of the respective air outlet nozzles 36 are slightly protruded downstream from one vertical edge 236, 238, while being arranged in the hollow portion 242. The snow supply pipe 40 is connected to the end of the blowout nozzle 36 opposite to the 102, and the snow supply pipe 40 is appropriately wired in the hollow part 242, and is connected to the outside from the upper opening 244 of the airfoil hose guide 234. It is being pulled out.

For this reason, the height of the airfoil hose guide 234 is larger than the height of the rectifying cylinder 312 and is arranged so as to cover the entire height of the rectifying cylinder 232, and the upper part penetrates the rectifying cylinder 312 and leads to the hollow part 242. The upper end opening is opened outside the rectifying cylinder 312. Thus, the snow supply pipe 40 is inserted into the hollow portion 242 of the airfoil hose guide 234 from the upper end opening outside the rectifying cylinder 312 and is connected to the blowing nozzle 36 in the rectifying cylinder 312.
In addition, each blowing port 102 of the blowing nozzle 36 is installed at a position of at least 1 meter or more upstream from the boundary between the flow straightening cylinder 312 and the contracted flow cylinder 314 in consideration of the distance necessary for diffusion by the diffusion plate. There is a need.

What is necessary is just to determine the number of the blowing nozzles 36 to install, and the space | interval of adjacent nozzles according to the conditions of the vehicle test by a snowstorm.
When the snowstorm density is adjusted in the height direction, the density may be changed by switching the blowing nozzle 36 provided in the height direction.
For example, in the case where the number of blowing nozzles 36 provided in the lower part in advance is larger than that in the upper part and the middle part, and the density in the lower part is increased, snow is blown using all the lower blowing nozzles 36, while the density is increased in the height direction. Is uniform, the nozzle to be used may be selected if it is among all the blowout nozzles 36 at the bottom.

As described above, by installing the airfoil hose guide 234 in the wind tunnel 16, the snow supply pipe 40 connected to the blowing nozzle 36 and the supporting attachment of the blowing nozzle 36 while functioning as a supporting attachment member of the blowing nozzle 36. The member can effectively prevent the airflow in the wind tunnel 16 from being disturbed.
The airfoil hose guide 234 may be formed as a single piece without combining two rectangular plates. The material of the airfoil hose guide 234 is capable of mounting and supporting the blowing nozzle 36, so that the wind speed in the wind tunnel 16 and the low temperature can be reduced. As long as it can withstand, it may be made of metal or resin.

The operation of the snowstorm generator 100 having the above configuration will be described below.
First, in each system, ice pieces made by the ice making machine 22 are crushed by the ice breaker 26 to become ice particles having a predetermined particle diameter, and are pumped by an air current by the snow supply pipe 40, and a plurality of branch pipes are fed by the distribution device 34. In each branch pipe, the wet snow device 32 makes wet snow having a predetermined moisture content, and reaches the blowing nozzle 36.
In this case, the blowing nozzles 36 are arranged at intervals in the vehicle height direction for each system, and the plurality of blowing nozzles 36 of the same system are arranged at intervals in the width direction of the vehicle V.

On the other hand, the airflow generated from the blower 25 flows from the outlet 316 toward the vehicle V through the second diffusion cylinder 321, the third bending cylinder 306, the fourth bending cylinder 308, the rectification cylinder 312 and the contraction cylinder 314. The first bent cylinder 302 and the second bent cylinder 304 are returned to the blower 25 so as to circulate.
In each blowing nozzle 36, snow of ice particles pumped by an air flow through the snow supply pipe 40 toward the blowing nozzle 36 is once squeezed by an orifice throttle opening 204 provided in the blowing port 102, and then outside. By being opened, it is possible to widen when blowing out, and by adjusting the degree of throttling in relation to the air velocity, it is possible to achieve a desired spread of snowstorm.
The snowstorm having a desired spread flows out from the outlet 316 of the wind tunnel 16 and is blown to the vehicle V.

As described above, when simulating a snowstorm by blowing snow on an air stream and blowing it out toward the vehicle, the height of the vehicle is secured while ensuring a sufficient distance to reach the vehicle while enabling continuous testing. A desired concentration distribution of snowstorm in the direction can be realized.

According to the snow blowing generating apparatus having the above configuration, the snow pressure-fed by the air flow through the snow supply pipe 40 toward the blowing nozzle 36 is once throttled by the orifice throttle opening 204 provided in the blowing port 102. By opening to the outside, it is possible to spread when blown out, and by adjusting this throttle condition in relation to the air velocity, it is possible to achieve the desired spread of the snowstorm and Since the blowing nozzle 36 to be blown out is disposed in the wind tunnel 16 on the upstream side of the constricted portion 202 of the wind tunnel 16 in a direction to blow snow along the parallel flow air flow toward the object, the parallel flow air flow from the wind tunnel 16 is generated. For example, in a snow environment test using blowing snow, it is possible to ensure the distance between the specimen and the blowing nozzle 36 while avoiding disturbance. When simulating a blizzard by placing the airflow from behind, together with the diffuse distribution of the snowstorm over a desired wide range, it is possible to avoid disturbing the airflow to put a snowstorm.

Below, 2nd Embodiment of this invention is described, referring FIG. 8 thru | or FIG. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, the characteristic portions of the present embodiment will be described in detail.
The characteristic part of the present embodiment is common in that a blowing nozzle 36 is provided upstream of the boundary position T between the contracted portion 314 and the rectifying unit 312 of the wind tunnel 16 in the direction of blowing snow along the parallel flow. As an alternative to the orifice aperture opening 204 in the first embodiment, a diffusion plate 74 is provided outside the blowing nozzle.

As shown in FIG. 8, a diffusion plate 74 is provided in front of each blowing nozzle 36, and the snowstorm blown out from the blowing nozzle 36 on the low temperature airflow from the blower toward the vehicle V is shown in FIG. 9. In this way, it hits the diffusion plate 74 and diffuses outward in all directions, and the three blowing snow blowout nozzles 36 cooperate with each other, so that the snowstorm occurs in the front part of the vehicle V over the height direction of the vehicle V. To be distributed.
In this respect, as in the first embodiment, since the wind tunnel 16 is not the so-called aerodynamic wind tunnel 16 but a simple wind tunnel 16, the distance between the blowing nozzle 36 and the front portion of the vehicle V is about 1 meter. In this short distance, the snowstorm blown from the blowing nozzle 36 is diffused over the entire height at the front portion of the vehicle V.
The diffusion plate 74 may be provided when the wind speed is 80 km / h or more, or the distance between the blowing nozzle 36 and the front portion of the vehicle V is about 1 to 3 meters.
As with the first embodiment, a plurality of air outlets 102 are provided at intervals in the height direction so as to cover the entire height of the vehicle V, and the snow blown out from each air outlet 102 is provided. The amount can be adjusted independently of each other, and the concentration distribution of the snowstorm can be adjusted according to the height of the vehicle V.

As shown in FIG. 9, the diffusion plate 74 has a diffusion surface 104 that faces the blowing nozzle 36 at a predetermined position in front of the airflow direction. The diffusion plate 74 is attached to the snow supply pipe 40 around the blowing nozzle 36 via an L-shaped member 108 for the convenience of attachment. More specifically, one portion 108A of the L-shaped member 108 extends forward from the side peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the snow supply pipe 40 around the blowing nozzle 36, and the other portion 108B of the L-shaped member 108 extends downward. The diffusion plate 74 is attached to the tip of the other portion 108B of the L-shaped member 108 so as to face the blowing nozzle 36. As will be described later, the distance d between the blowing nozzle 36 and the diffusion plate 74 affects the diffusion range of the blowing snow when the blowing snow blown from the blowing nozzle 36 strikes the diffusion plate 74 and diffuses. More specifically, the larger the d, the narrower the blizzard diffusion range, and the smaller d, the wider the blizzard diffusion range. In this regard, when the snowstorm diffused by the diffusion plate 74 reaches the vehicle V as the test specimen, it needs to spread over the entire height direction and width direction of the vehicle V. Is also affected by the air velocity from behind the blowing nozzle 36. When changing the air velocity to simulate the traveling vehicle, in order to realize a desired diffusion range using the same diffusion plate 74, one of the L-shaped members 108 is made variable so that the distance d is variable. It is preferable that the portion 108A is extendable and contractible.

The diffusion surface 104 has a conical shape formed such that the material and the top of the diffusion surface 104 are close to the blowout port 102 so as to be difficult to adhere to snow, thereby blowing out the blowout port 102, The snowstorm that occurs along the airflow traveling direction along with the airflow is guided along the diffusion surface 104 and diffuses in the four directions outward of the diffusion surface 104.

More specifically, the diffusion surface 104 may be provided with a coating layer made of fluororesin or silicon, or the blowing snow diffusion member 100 may be made of a fluororesin material or a silicon material.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the shape of the diffusing surface 104 is a disk shape, and its axis is arranged along the traveling direction of the airflow so that the center thereof overlaps the center P of the outlet 102. Be placed. The blowout nozzle 36 extends substantially horizontally, and the flow of the airflow blown from the blowout port 102 is substantially parallel. Therefore, the outer diameter D of the diffusion surface 104 is preferably slightly larger than the diameter of the blowout port 102. Thereby, the snowstorm blown out from the blowout port 102 can hit the diffusion surface 104.

The effect | action is demonstrated below about the member 100 for a snowstorm diffusion which has the above structure.
As shown in FIG. 9, the snow blown out from the outlet 102 rides on the airflow and flows as a snowstorm along the direction of airflow, and the snowstorm is outside the outlet 102 and in front of the direction of airflow. When the diffusion surface 104 hits the diffusion surface 104 disposed so as to face the blowing port 102 at a predetermined position, the diffusion surface 104 has a difficult-to-adhere material and a top portion on the blowing port 102 so as to be difficult to adhere to snow. Due to the conical shape formed in the approaching direction, the snowstorm is guided along the diffusion surface 104 without adhering to the diffusion surface 104, diffuses outward in all directions, and adheres to the diffusion surface 104. It is possible to suppress the fluctuation of diffusion characteristics with time.
This makes it possible to perform environmental tests using snowstorms, especially when using wet snow without changing the diffusion characteristics so that the spread of the snowstorm is narrowed, or without impeding the snow blowing from the nozzle that blows out. Can be carried out smoothly.

In this case, when the traveling vehicle is simulated using a stationary vehicle by adjusting the velocity of the airflow toward the vehicle, the orifice throttle opening 204 or the diffusion plate 74 is preferably selected according to the velocity of the airflow.
In particular, when the air velocity is 60 km / h or less, the orifice throttle opening 204 is selected, and when it is 80 to 108 km / h, the diffusion plate 74 is selected.
In addition, when a plurality of snow supply pipes are provided at predetermined intervals in the height direction, as shown in FIG. 10, the blowing nozzle of the lowest level snow supply pipe among the plurality of snow supply pipes is used. Is provided with a diffusion plate 74, and the diffusion plate 74 is preferably installed obliquely upward along the direction of airflow so that the snowstorm is deflected against the diffusion plate 74 and diffused obliquely upward. The inclination angle γ may be determined from such a viewpoint.

As described above, in each blowing nozzle 36, the snow blown from the blowing port 102 rides on the airflow and flows as a snowstorm along the traveling direction of the airflow. Hitting the facing surface 104 arranged so as to face the air outlet 102 at a predetermined position in front of the traveling direction of the snow, the snow accumulates until reaching the air outlet 102 as in the prior art, and it is difficult to continuously generate snow. The snowstorm diffuses outward in all directions along the facing surface 104, and the diffused snowstorm further flows along the air flow, and the snowstorm also circulates in the area behind the facing surface 104. By adjusting the speed of the airflow, the spatial distribution of the snowstorm can be expanded as desired, and the blowing nozzle 36 for blowing snow is restricted in the wind tunnel 16. Since it is arranged in the direction of blowing snow along the parallel flow airflow toward the target, upstream from the ridge portion, for example, snow using a snowstorm while not disturbing the parallel flow airflow from the wind tunnel 16 In the environmental test, since the distance between the specimen and the blowing nozzle 36 can be secured, when the snowstorm is simulated by placing the snow on the airflow from behind, the snowstorm is diffused and distributed over a desired wide area. It is possible to avoid disturbing the airflow to carry.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but various modifications or changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, it has been described that snow is artificial snow that breaks ice pieces that have been made into ice particles, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and snow has a predetermined humidity and a predetermined temperature. Artificial crystal snow generated using cold air or natural snow may be used.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the orifice nozzle opening 204 having a quarter-circular curved surface is provided in common for the blowing nozzles 36 provided in the three systems. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Alternatively, different types (type having the narrowest portion 212, ring-shaped plate type) may be employed, or different types may be employed for the plurality of blowing nozzles 36 provided in the width direction of the vehicle V in the same system. Also good.

Further, for the blowout nozzles 36 provided in three systems, in the first embodiment, all of the orifice restrictor openings 204 having a quarter-circular curved surface are provided in common in the first embodiment, whereas in the second embodiment, all the diffusion plates are commonly used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, but when simulating a snowstorm by placing snow on an airflow from behind, the snowstorm is diffused and distributed over a desired wide range, and the airflow carrying the snowstorm is disturbed. As long as it is possible to avoid such a situation, a certain blowout nozzle 36 may be adopted as a hybrid type in which an orifice throttle opening 204 and a certain blowout nozzle 36 are provided with a diffusion plate 74.

1 is an overall schematic diagram of an environmental test system in which a snowstorm generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged. It is a partial side view which shows the surroundings of the blowing part of the snowstorm generator which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the density distribution of the snowstorm of the height direction (vertical direction) in the natural world. It is the elements on larger scale which show the detail of the blowing nozzle of the snowstorm generator which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the elements on larger scale which show the detail of the blowing nozzle of the snowstorm generator which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is the elements on larger scale which show the detail of the blowing nozzle of the snowstorm generator which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the detail of the wing type hose guide of the snowstorm generator which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the blowing nozzle of the snowstorm generator which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the elements on larger scale which show the detail of the blowing nozzle of the snowstorm generator which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the elements on larger scale which show the detail of the blowing nozzle of the snowstorm generator installed in the lowest level as a modification of 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

α Conical angle γ Inclination angle d Distance between outlet and diffusion surface D Outer diameter of diffusion plate V Vehicle D2 Distance between outlet nozzle 36 and front of vehicle V D3 Diameter of narrowest part 10 Snow environment test system 12 Snow supply System 14 Airflow supply system 16 Wind tunnel 17 Opening 18 Low greenhouse 20 Ice making chamber 22 Ice making machine 24 Ice temperature stabilization conveyor 25 Blower 26 Ice crusher 28 Blower 30 Cooler 32 Wet snow device 34 Distributing device 36 Blowing nozzle 38 Blowing snow collecting device 40 Snow supply pipe 42 Suction port 44 Air duct 74 Diffusion plate 100 Snow blower generator 102 Blowout port 104 Diffusion surface 106 Outer surface 108 L-shaped member 122 Notch 124 Slit 202 Restriction part 204 Orifice restriction opening 206 Inner peripheral surface 208 Annular part 210 Inner edge portion 212 narrowest portion 214 plane portion 236 airfoil hose guide 236, 38-out vertical edge 240 elongated notch
242 Upper opening 243 Rectangular plate 300 Measurement chamber 302 First bending cylinder 304 Second bending cylinder 306 Third bending cylinder 308 Fourth bending cylinder 310 Second diffusion cylinder 312 Rectification cylinder 314 Shrinking cylinder 316

Claims (17)

A snowstorm generator that simulates a snowstorm by placing snow in an air current,
Snow is pumped by airflow, and has a snow supply pipe having a blowing nozzle at the tip,
The blowing nozzle is arranged in a wind tunnel for flowing a parallel flow toward the target, upstream of the narrowed portion of the wind tunnel, in a direction to blow snow along the parallel flow,
An orifice aperture opening is provided at the outlet of the outlet nozzle.
A snowstorm generator characterized by the above. The snow blowing generating device according to claim 1, wherein the orifice throttle opening is formed by an annular portion provided over an inner peripheral surface of the blowing nozzle at the blowing port. The snow ringing device according to claim 2, wherein the annular portion forms a curved surface in which an inner peripheral surface forming the orifice throttle opening extends in an upstream direction toward the inner peripheral surface of the blowing nozzle. 4. The snowstorm generating device according to claim 3, wherein an inner edge of a cross section of the curved surface along a longitudinal direction of the snow supply pipe forms a quarter arc shape. The snow blowing generating device according to claim 3, wherein the curved surface is provided so as to form a narrowest portion at a predetermined position in an upstream direction from the orifice throttle opening in the vicinity of the outlet of the outlet nozzle. The annular part is a ring-shaped plate, and the flat part facing the inside of the blowing nozzle forms an adhesion surface of the snow that is pumped from the upstream, so that the outer shape of the snow that adheres is the flux of the pumped airflow. The snowstorm generating device according to claim 2, wherein the snowstorm generating device has a shape along the outermost shape. The snowstorm is blown out toward a stationary vehicle placed in the wind tunnel, and is used to perform a snow environment test on the stationary vehicle.
The distance between the outlet and the vehicle is 3 meters or more;
A plurality of the blowing nozzles are provided at intervals in the height direction so as to cover the entire height of the vehicle within the range of the throttle portion of the wind tunnel,
The amount of snow blown out from each outlet can be adjusted independently of each other,
The snowstorm generator according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the snowstorm concentration distribution can be adjusted according to the height of the vehicle. The snowstorm generating device according to claim 7, wherein the snow is artificial snow that breaks ice pieces that have been made into ice particles. The snowstorm generating device according to claim 7, wherein the snow is artificial crystal snow generated using cold air having a predetermined humidity and a predetermined temperature. The snowstorm generator according to claim 7, wherein the snow uses natural snow.         The snow blowing generating device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the orifice throttle opening is adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the snow supply pipe in the vicinity of the outlet of the outlet nozzle. A snowstorm generator that simulates a snowstorm by placing snow in an air current,
Snow is pumped by airflow, and has a snow supply pipe having a blowing nozzle at the tip,
The blowing nozzle is arranged in a wind tunnel for flowing a parallel flow toward the target, upstream of the narrowed portion of the wind tunnel, in a direction to blow snow along the parallel flow,
A diffusion plate facing the blowing nozzle is disposed outside the blowing nozzle and at a predetermined position in front of the airflow direction,
Thereby, the snowstorm blown out from the blowing nozzle and generated along the airflow traveling direction on the airflow is deflected against the diffusion plate and diffused toward the outer side of the diffusion plate. Snowstorm generator.         The diffusion plate according to claim 12, wherein the diffusion plate has a planar point-symmetric shape, is disposed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction of the airflow, and is disposed so that the center of symmetry overlaps the center of the outlet. Snowstorm generator. The snowstorm is blown out toward a stationary vehicle placed in the wind tunnel, and is used to perform a snow environment test on the stationary vehicle.
13. The orifice orifice opening or the diffusion plate is selected according to the speed of airflow when the traveling vehicle is simulated using a stationary vehicle by adjusting the speed of the airflow toward the vehicle. The blizzard generator described in 1.         The snowstorm generating device according to claim 14, wherein the orifice throttle opening is selected when the velocity of the airflow is 60 km / h or less, and the diffuser plate is selected when the velocity of the airflow is 80 to 120 km / h. A plurality of the snow supply pipes are provided at predetermined intervals in the height direction,
Among the plurality of snow supply pipes, the diffusion nozzle is provided in the blowing nozzle of the lowest level snow supply pipe,
The snow storm generating device according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the diffusing plate is installed obliquely upward along a traveling direction of the air current so that the snow blast is deflected by the diffusing plate and diffused obliquely upward. The blowing nozzle is supported by an airfoil guide disposed in the wind tunnel,
The airfoil guide has a hollow portion, the cross-sectional shape is an airfoil, the longitudinal direction of the airfoil is disposed in a direction along the air flow generated in the wind tunnel, and opens outside the wind tunnel,
The snowstorm generating device according to claim 1 or 12, wherein the snow supply pipe is accommodated in the hollow portion and pulled out from the hollow portion outside the wind tunnel.

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