EAST LIBERTY, Ohio – Honda is forging ahead in Ohio with a state-of-the-art wind tunnel research facility.
Mike Unger is the Wind Tunnel Lead. He is responsible for overseeing all operations for HALO.
“[The main fan] is eight meters in diameter [and] 6,700 horsepower. It’s enormous, and it’s the heart of the wind tunnel,” Unger said. “Despite its massive size, the precision balance that we required is better than that of the turbine inside the turbo charger of your car.”
HALO’s focus is threefold, supporting advancement in aerodynamic, aeroacoustic and racing research.
“Aeroacoustics are important for all vehicles and become much more critical as we transition to battery-electric vehicles. We lose that powertrain noise and aeroacoustics and wind noise become much more critical to the customer,” Acoustic Engineer Sam McCrary said.
The facility is located at the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty.
“One of the key things here is the confidentiality,” Wind Tunnel Business Strategy Lead, Chris Combs said. “We’re able to lock down different bays in different areas depending on who is using the facility and where they need to be. You get everything you need to have a standalone independent work facility, access from the outside that’s private and confidential, full tool set up, lift surface play to calibrate and get your vehicle set up to go into the test facility and a complete office upstairs with video conference center to communicate back to your home company.”
HALO is Honda’s latest investment in Ohio now totaling $14 billion since 1975.
For Unger and his colleagues, it’s an engineer’s dream come true.
“It’s an exciting time to be at Honda. It’s an exciting time to be in the automotive industry. And this tunnel is the center of the excitement for us,” Unger said.
