History of 14x22 Fan Blade Maintenance

Finishing construction in 1969, 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel utilizes the nine original wooden main tunnel drive fan blades, with each blade measuring 16 feet long and weighing roughly 650 lbs. It was established in 1996 that the blade maintenance plan would include removing these fan blades from the tunnel circuit every 10 years for a more complete inspection. The last fan blade removal was performed in 2015 when the main drive motor was being rewound.

Due to the nature of the risk with removing these fan blades, 14x22 has decided to delay the fan blade removal until next year with the hope of employing modern methods for characterizing the current state of the blades and to prolong their lifespan. This presentation will include a history of the fan blades, the current maintenance plan, recent challenges, and details about major and minor repairs completed over the years. The facility is seeking the association’s help in sharing lessons learned and recommending potential methods for monitoring wooden blade health.