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As Reinmann neared retirement in the early 1990s, he had the pleasure of witnessing the IRT become an even more attractive research facility when its ability to simulate high speeds was increased by over 25 percent. This unexpected improvement came in the wake of the “Great Fan Blade Crisis” of the mid-1980s. On 9 July 1985, the wooden fan blades in NASA’s 7 x 10-foot High-Speed Wind Tunnel at Langley suffered a catastrophic failure. To say that this caused great concern at NASA Headquarters would be an understatement. There were ten NASA tunnels that used wooden fan blades, six at Langley, three at Ames, and the IRT. Committees to review the condition of the fan blades were formed at all three centers, together with a national committee on structural integrity of wooden fan blades. At Lewis, James H. Diedrich was appointed to head the local committee. Other mem- bers included Thomas O. Cressman for structural design and analysis; John L. Shannon, Jr. for fracture mechanics and fatigue; Kerry L. Remp for systems safety; and David A. Spera for wooden blade structures. The committee reviewed the history of the IRT blades. In operation since 1944, the fan system had not needed any major components replaced. The fan, 25.4 feet in diameter, consisted of twelve blades of Sitka spruce, each weighing 250 pounds. At maximum revolutions per minute of 460 and a tip speed of 612 feet per second, the fan produced an airspeed of 300 miles per hour without a model in the tunnel. Unlike the fan blades in NASA’s other tunnels, the IRT blades had been subject to ice damage. This damage, however, was easily repaired by use of a structural adhesive. The IRT blades also were attached to the hub by bolts and clamping. In the Langley tunnel that experienced the failure, the blades had been secured by bolts alone. The Lewis review committee reported in December 1986 that the IRT fan blades were not in any danger of failing. The hub attachment system provided “high margins of safety against fatigue failure,” and no significant loss of structural integrity could be expected in the next five to ten years of operation at the design speed of 460 revolutions per minute. From the standpoint of fatigue life analysis, the committee concluded, the IRT blades were judged to have “an indefinite life” at 460 revolutions per minute.29 NASA Headquarters was not convinced and wanted to shut down the tunnel until metal fan blades were installed. Facility manager Zager countered that the Lewis review had demonstrated that the wooden blades were perfectly safe and argued strongly against a shutdown. Finally, upon the recommendation of the national wood fan blade com- mittee, Headquarters directed Lewis to purchase (for $200,000) and install a new set of blades. After further discussions with the experts at Lewis, however, Headquarters allowed Zager to keep the original blades in operation and store the new blades. At the Full Speed Ahead 29 Diedrich, et al., “Report of the NASA-LeRC Review Committee Regarding the Structural Integrity of the Icing Research Wind Tunnel Fan,” 22 December 1986, History Office, GRC. 127PDF Image | History of NASA Icing Research Tunnel
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