Demonstrating its commitment to safety and comfort, Italian helmet specialist Airoh (Locatelli) has taken the ultimate step in being able to prove and improve the aerodynamics of its shell designs with the installation of an in-house wind tunnel as part of its extensive R&D investment and facilities.
"Research, technology, innovation and passion need to be harnessed in a sophisticated system to improve performance," says owner Antonio Locatelli. "From the start, the strategy that drives our company has always been the same - the search for continuous improvement.
"To get the best, we contacted the best - a pool of engineers that worked with our Research and Development department for more than six months to create a revolutionary wind tunnel facility. Powered by subsonic, closed-cycle Gottingen technology, and designed to be used both in open and closed test chambers, our exclusively owned software and advanced algorithms allow us to capture a unique suite of dynamic measurements.
"Specifically, the lateral movement and inclination of the dummy head is predicted through a remote-controlled computer, allowing for the analyses of the results by testing any type of scenario on and off road.
"The power harnessed in our wind tunnel simulates the most extreme conditions of use - over 200 km/h - so we can test the aerodynamic, acoustic and thermal levels in the helmet. The number of tests that can be performed is stunning - ranging from aerodynamic, static or in-movement tests to displaying the flows, the side strength, acoustic and thermal measurements at different speeds, all constantly monitored and subsequently processed with the most advanced computerised and 3D display analysis systems."
The tests also rely on the pressure sensors and two microphones assembled on the dummy head. The instruments actually analyse the noise caused by the air flow on the helmet’s surface and any possible turbulence generated. Measuring is divided into determination of the sound level (dBA), octave analysis and frequency.
"Special attention is paid to analysing the stagnation points, the separation lines and the transition boundary between the laminar and the turbulent layer; in this sense, special tracers are used at the solid and gas state, which are able to highlight the aerodynamic strength result."
Thermodynamics is especially important for those helmets that are worn for several hours, with challenging temperatures, in all kinds of different scenarios. For this reason, the dummy head is able to constantly monitor the temperature on its surface, allowing a 3D image to be created, showing where the different temperatures of the test are highlighted with various colours.
"Usually, in the first phase of the test, the head reaches an ideal temperature for benchmarking and appears red; while performing the test, areas subject to different temperatures are highlighted in different colours. This change is generated by the effectiveness of the air vents and the air extractors, which perform a fundamental role in ensuring optimal comfort."
"Meticulous attention to details - and a relentless and untiring search for the best performance and the desire to have motorcyclists wear the same product as the most successful champions - this is what pushed us to create this truly unique tool - only in this way can a helmet be given the AWT2 (Airoh Wind Tunnel Tested) seal of approval."
www.airoh.com
