 Key dates
From past to present.
- Since 2006, the Soufflerie Climatique Ile de France is a CAWA
* member.
(* Climatic automotive wind tunnel association)
- A glance in the mirror, our book of souvenirs
An unexpected collection of non conventional vehicles which has impressed our memory!
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1976, The Conception
That year, the "Société des Usines Chausson" by this time one of the two biggest automotive suppliers in France, decides to build on its new plant of Saint Ouen l'Aumône, near Paris, a state of the art climatic wind tunnel with high performances and very innovative technical solutions such as the on board roll bench or the movable walls and ceiling in order to adapt the wind tunnel geometry to the specific properties of the vehicle to be tested.Two aims are assigned to the new facility by The Chausson company : satisfy the internal needs for its own research and development projects, allow its customers (the car makers) to use a very convenient tool which will be also a technological demonstration.
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1978, The Birth
Date of the Wind Tunnel first opening. Then such equipment is still rare in France and in Europe. None of the French automotive manufacturers is so far equipped and it is among them that the wind tunnel find its first customers. Essentially they are Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, and Talbot for the passenger car makers, RVI, Sedems, Panhard, International Harvester, Renault Agriculture for the industrial, military and agricultural vehicle makers. The first non French customers are Volkswagen, Opel and Porsche.
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1987, The grown age
The Chausson thermal activity is bought by the VALEO group. The owner has changed but the aim remains the same. The worldwide audience from Valeo allowed more diversified customers to be reached all over the world.
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2003, The Independance
Birth of the "Soufflerie Climatique Ile de France", owner of a 25 year know-how in its sector of activity, but rid of any form of leadership from whatever car maker or supplier, and still ready to blow cold and hot breeze in total independance for the greatest satisfaction of its customers.
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Book of souvenirs
Yes, a wind tunnel test can perfectly be fancy! This is the proof!
- Tanks (AMX 13 and 15T),
- military armoured vehicle (VAB and VBL),
- the carrier of the famous tank "Leclerc" (Renault TRM700),
- a helicopter cell (Alouette 3),
- a nuclear power unit aero-refrigerant tower model (for the french power supplyer EDF studying freezing issue),
- the DeLorean fashion car (from the movie "Back to the Futur."),
- the Paris to Dakar race ZX rally-raid then later, the Xsara WRC (Citroen sport),
- and even, a portable air compressor for roadworks (Ingersoll)...
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