ACE – Climatic Wind Tunnel

What the facility does

Product development and aerodynamic testing with Climatic Wind Tunnel and test chambers

Areas of expertise

ACE (Automotive Centre of Excellence) is a world-class R&D facility and has the experienced engineers and technicians to deliver solutions to any product development or testing problem.

Our environment can re-create any weather conditions a test object will experience anywhere in the world, from the blistering heat in Death Valley to the frigid conditions in the Arctic. We can test vehicles operating under full load with crosswinds and wind speeds up to 280 km/h.

We use our multiple chambers to:

Inspire students
Conduct research
Test automotive, architectural and aerospace products
Improve the performance of elite athletes and first responders
Provide services to many other markets including the tech industry, film production and motorsports

Automotive

Thermal Management is our core business. We work with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) from around the world on vehicle testing. ACE is a leader in electric vehicle, autonomous vehicle and electric charging research and part of the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN).

Defence

ACE is Controlled Goods Certified and has worked with global aerospace, defence and security companies.

Architectural / Civil Engineering

The facility can work with you to conduct up to Category 4 hurricane testing, snow load testing, rain penetration testing and other climate-based testing.

Research services

Test 280 km/h wind, -40C to +60C, rain, snow, ice, freezing rain, noise and vibration
Engineers and operators on staff to support activity and help develop test plan
Fully secure lot and compound
Controlled Goods certification
Data acquisition
Fabrication of fixtures for testing purposes
Expertise in wind tunnel testing – experience with over 2,500 test projects
Networked to industry expertise and trends

Sectors of application

Aerospace and satellites

Automotive

Clean technology

Construction (including building, civil engineering, specialty trades)

Consumer durables

Defence and security industries

Energy

Environmental technologies and related services

Manufacturing and processing

Transportation

Utilities

Specialized labs and equipment

Specialized lab	Equipment	Function
Climatic Wind Tunnel	2.5 MW fan creating winds up to 250kmh Turntable for cross-wind tests Burke Porter Dyno	Aerodynamic and thermal testing cars, electric and autonomous vehicles, buses, UAVs, hurricane capability evaluation, rain penetration, roof snow load, athletic performance
Climatic Wind Tunnel	Burke Porter Dyno DC fast charge KHS Steuernagel solar array	Aerodynamic and thermal testing cars, electric and autonomous vehicles, buses, UAVs, hurricane capability evaluation, rain penetration, roof snow load, athletic performance
Climatic Wind Tunnel	Bicycle balance Ski balance	Athletic performance, climate physiology
Large Climate Chamber	Mustang Dyno Solar Array Snow making rig Rain rig HVAC to create -40C to +60C, 5%-95% humidity	Climatic testing of vehicles, thermal management testing, civil engineering / construction climate testing
Small Climate Chamber	HVAC to create -40C to +60C, 5%-95% humidity Freezing rain/ice rig	Climatic testing of vehicles, side-by-side test/control capability, civil engineering / construction climate testing
Climatic 4 Post Shaker	MTS 4 Post, automatic positioning system HVAC to create -40C to +60C, 5%-95% humidity	Dual modes: Road-load sim, high-flow, high-G Suspension (durability and life cycle) can be tested under surface simulations such as gravel roads or pot holes
Hemi-anechoic Chamber / Multi-Axis Shaker Table	MTS Multi-Axial Simulation Table (MAST) Table 353.20, 6 degree of freedom inverted hexapod hydraulic shaker table	Air-turbulence and uneven-surface landing sims, automotive life cycle/squeak and rattle, architectural design (earthquake sims)
Hemi-anechoic Chamber / Multi-Axis Shaker Table	Hemi-anechoic chamber, 150Hz cut-off frequency	Air-turbulence and uneven-surface landing sims, automotive life cycle/squeak and rattle, architectural design (earthquake sims)
Prototype Machining Centre	Haas CNC Machine Haas Lathe	Machining equipment available to clients for revisions and/or repairs while on site
ACE Innovation Garage	Hoteling and office space for industry partners	Short-term or long-term working space at ACE for efficient research collaboration with academics and/or students
ACE Current	DC Fast Charge research and development site	Test battery performance in full range of climatic conditions, EV Charger Test Bench that can be inserted into the CWT
ACE Wireless Environment	Keysight Technologies wireless environment for electric and autonomous vehicles	Performance of AV sensors and antennas in a full-scale automotive climatic environment, performance of radar systems under severe weather environments (e.g. snowstorm). Transmission and emissions of information; including indoor GPS, DSRC, antennae power, Radar and LiDAR system signal degradation measurements.

Private and public sector research partners

Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN)
Subsonic Aerodynamic Testing Association (SATA)
SAE International
Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA)
Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)
IBM
General Motors of Canada

Additional information

Title	URL
Future of automotive engineering in Oshawa	https://business.financialpost.com/transportation/autos/the-legend-of-larry-holt-an-automotive-engineering-giant-tries-to-rebuild-a-declining-car-town
Leading the charge – autonomous vehicle charging research	https://news.ontariotechu.ca/archives/2019/10/leading-the-charge-ontario-tech,-ace-and-ecamion-test-how-to-power-autonomous-vehicles.php