Figure 9 - Mounting Board and 'L' clamp apparatus

Care had to be taken to ensure that both the strain gauge bar (except at the base) and the wing mirror were not in direct contact with any other surfaces as this could restrict the movement of the bar and thus affect the strain gauge readings. The mounting board setup was then placed into the purpose made hole in the ground board.

With the solid support structure in place, the imitation A-Pillar around the wing mirror could be created. This was created simply with thick card and strong duct tape to make an approximation of the Range Rover A-Pillar. Some reinforcement was needed under the construction to prevent sagging and reduce vibration due to the airflow. Care had to again be taken to ensure that none of the cardboard structure touched the strain gauge bar or the wing mirror.

This addition of the cardboard structure represented the last addition to the test model (Figure 10).

Some additional work had to be carried out on the underside of the ground board as the L-Bracket attached to the mounting board was exposed to the airflow. Therefore, with the wind tunnel operating at speed, the L-Bracket would create pressure drag and consequently bending in the L-bracket would occur which would affect the strain gauge readings. To remedy this, a small wooden board (of equal width to the bracket) was secured upstream by clamping it to the under floor balance below and taping it at the point of contact with the ground board. This board would reduce the velocity of the air flow travelling over the L-Bracket and therefore reduce the pressure drag acting on it to a negligible level. The cable from the strain gauge bar was also wrapped round its securing G-Clamp to ensure that it did not blow in the wind and therefore pull on the bar.