Aerodynamic characterization of dryer fabrics in a wind tunnel

Dryer fabrics can be studied in the test chamber of a wind tunnel with substantial savings in time and experimental costs. The problems of high machine speed on a dryer fabric are explained - The wind tunnel advantages are that the air moves and the fabric is steady. The following parameters were the most significant for characterizing the boundary layer in a permeable dryer fabric: Boundary layer thickness, air velocity at the surface, exponent of the velocity profile curve and flow rate. The exponent of the velocity profile curve is defined and explained. The experimental apparatus comprised the wind tunnel, the sensor for measuring air velocity, a robot for positioning the sensor, and the data acquisition system. The results are presented on nine tested dryer fabrics. The proposed procedure is a valid method for characterizing dryer fabrics and relatively high accuracy can be achieved with the experimental set-up.