Scramjet thrust measurement in a shock tunnel

Abstract

This note reports tests in a shock tunnel in which a fully integrated scramjet configuration produced net thrust. The experiments not only showed that impulse facilities can be used for assessing thrust performance, but also were a demonstration of the application of a new technique to the measurement of thrust on scramjet configurations in shock tunnels. These two developments are of significance because scramjets are expected to operate at speeds well in excess of 2 km/sec, and shock tunnels offer a means of generating high Mach number flows at such speeds.