r/tornado • u/Willing_Throat3523 Human Detected • 11d ago
Tornado Media DIY rope tornado
12
8
5
u/Impaled_d3mon 11d ago
How
4
u/Willing_Throat3523 Human Detected 10d ago
The big fan creates the main updraft, the smaller fan on the right side is at an angle and blows air against the walls. The walls guide the air into a swirl. This vorticity is stretched by the main fan into a narrow but strong vortex. The smoke machine is connected to a pipe under the fabric. The vortex creates an area of low pressure that draws the smoke up which makes it visible.
3
u/TK-12757 10d ago
That’s very cool. Seeing the elements come together in small scale is fascinating and also how you said taking away one element causes it to fail.
3
u/Willing_Throat3523 Human Detected 10d ago
It is quite fun to play around with the settings. Sometimes I can make the vortex break down in a helical bubble way just like some tornadoes irl.
2
u/KING-PALM-MUSIC 10d ago
Wow! Crazy how the vortex is dancing outside of the fan blades for brief moments. I wonder if you could create a self sustaining tornado with a giant scale version of this. Even if it was short lived, that would be pretty insane! Could be a cool idea to test home construction designs against artificial tornadic winds
2
u/Willing_Throat3523 Human Detected 10d ago
I've tried seeing how long the vortex lasts after turning off the fans. When the main updraft fan is turned off, the vortex rapidly falls apart. If I keep the main fan on and turn off the fan that sources the vorticity, it lasts for quite a while before it ropes out. So I don't think it could be self sustaining unless you managed to create a continuous updraft. I like the idea of a giant version of this, it would be so cool to test stuff against it. Currently, the most it can do is throw bits of paper around.
2
u/Dragonfly_Artist32 4d ago
You should go to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry! They have one! It's AMAZING.
1
u/Willing_Throat3523 Human Detected 4d ago
Just looked it up and it looks incredible! I've never seen such a huge tornado model. Hopefully one day I'll be able to see it irl.
1
u/Dragonfly_Artist32 4d ago
I hope you can too! I think it's around $30 per person, so if you ever find yourself in the area and you've got some spending money, there's a BUNCH of other cool stuff to see there too! ❤️
•
u/AutoModerator 11d ago
Welcome to the /r/tornado subreddit, #1 in Weather and Nature! Reminder: Be civil and follow the subreddit rules.
Please remember:
• Read the rules before posting!
• Be civil in discussions!
• Report rule-breaking comments!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.