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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1988

Shock tube investigation of dynamic response of pressure transducers for validation of rotor performance measurements

For some time now, NASA has had a program under way to aid in the validation of rotor performance and acoustics codes associated with the UH-60 rotary-wing aircraft; and to correlate results of such studies with those obtained from investigations of other selected aircraft rotor performance. A central feature of these studies concerns the dynamic measurement of surface pressure at various locations up to frequencies of 25 KHz. For this purpose, fast-response gauges of the Kulite type are employed. The latter need to be buried in the rotor; they record surface pressures which are transmitted by a pipette connected to the gauge. The other end of the pipette is cut flush with the surface. In certain locations, the pipette configuration includes a rather sharp right-angle bend. The natural question has arisen in this connection: In what way are the pipettes modifying the signals received at the rotor surface and subsequently transmitted to the sensitive Kulite transducer element. The basic details and results of the program performed and recently completed in the High Pressure Shock Tube Laboratory of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University are given.

Bershader, Daniel↗
NASA NTRS1989

Experience with advanced instrumentation in a hot section cascade

The Lewis Research Center gas turbine Hot Section Test Facility was developed to provide a real engine environment with known boundary conditions for the aerothermal performance evaluation and verification of computer design codes. This verification process requires experimental measurements in a hostile environment. The research instruments used in this facility are presented, and their characteristics and how they perform in this environment are discussed. The research instrumentation consisted of conventional pressure and temperature sensors, as well as thin-film thermocouples and heat flux gages. The hot gas temperature was measured by an aspirated temperature probe and by a dual-element, fast-response temperature probe. The data acquisition mode was both steady state and time dependent. These experiments were conducted over a wide range of gas Reynolds numbers, exit gas Mach numbers, and heat flux levels. This facility was capable of testing at temperatures up to 1600 K, and at pressures up to 18 atm. These corresponded to an airfoil exit Reynolds number range of 0.5 x 10(6) to 2.5 x 10(6) based on the airfoil chord of 5.55 cm. The results characterize the performance capability and the durability of the instrumentation. The challenge of making measurements in hostile environments is also discussed. The instruments exhibited more than adequate durability to achieve the measurement profile. About 70 percent of the thin-film thermocouples and the dual-element temperature probe survived several hundred thermal cycles and more than 35 hr at gas temperatures up to 1600 K. Within the experimental uncertainty, the steady-state and transient heat flux measurements were comparable and consistent over the range of Reynolds numbers tested.

Yeh, Frederick C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Thermal measurements for jets in disturbed and undisturbed crosswind conditions

A direct comparison is made of the thermal field properties for a low-disturbance and a high-disturbance level condition affecting the low-temperature air jets introduced into gas turbine combustor aft sections in order both to cool the high-temperature gases and quench the combustion reactions. Sixty-four fast-response thermocouples were simultaneously sampled and corrected for their time constant effect at a downstream plane close to the jet exit. Histograms formed from independent samples were sufficiently smooth to approximate a pdf.

Wark, Candace E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A first-order global model of Late Cenozoic climatic change: Orbital forcing as a pacemaker of the ice ages

The development of a theory of the evolution of the climate of the earth over millions of years can be subdivided into three fundamental, nested, problems: (1) to establish by equilibrium climate models (e.g., general circulation models) the diagnostic relations, valid at any time, between the fast-response climate variables (i.e., the 'weather statistics') and both the prescribed external radiative forcing and the prescribed distribution of the slow response variables (e.g., the ice sheets and shelves, the deep ocean state, and the atmospheric CO2 concentration); (2) to construct, by an essentially inductive process, a model of the time-dependent evolution of the slow-response climatic variables over time scales longer than the damping times of these variables but shorter than the time scale of tectonic changes in the boundary conditions (e.g., altered geography and elevation of the continents, slow outgassing, and weathering) and ultra-slow astronomical changes such as in the solar radiative output; and (3) to determine the nature of these ultra-slow processes and their effects on the evolution of the equilibrium state of the climatic system about which the above time-dependent variations occur. All three problems are discussed in the context of the theory of the Quaternary climate, which will be incomplete unless it is embedded in a more general theory for the fuller Cenozoic that can accommodate the onset of the ice-age fluctuations. We construct a simple mathematical model for the Late Cenozoic climatic changes based on the hypothesis that forced and free variations of the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases (notably CO2), coupled with changes in the deep ocean state and ice mass, under the additional 'pacemaking' influence of earth-orbital forcing, are primary determinants of the climate state over this period. Our goal is to illustrate how a single model governing both very long term variations and higher frequency oscillatory variations in the Pleistocene can be formulated with relatively few adjustable parameters.

Saltzman, Barry↗
NASA NTRS1993

Transient liquid-crystal technique used to produce high-resolution convective heat-transfer-coefficient maps

In this transient technique the preheated isothermal model wall simulates the classic one-dimensional, semi-infinite wall heat transfer conduction problem. By knowing the temperature of the air flowing through the model, the initial temperature of the model wall, and the surface cooling rate measured at any location with time (using the fast-response liquid-crystal patterns recorded on video tape), the heat transfer coefficient can be calculated for the color isothermal pattern produced. Although the test was run transiently, the heat transfer coefficients are for the steady-state case. The upstream thermal boundary condition was considered to be isothermal. This transient liquid-crystal heat-transfer technique was used in a transient air tunnel in which a square-inlet, 3-to-1 exit transition duct was placed. The duct was preheated prior to allowing room temperature air to be suddenly drawn through it. The resulting isothermal contours on the duct surfaces were revealed using a surface coating of thermochromic liquid crystals that display distinctive colors at particular temperatures. A video record was made of the temperature and time data for all points on the duct surfaces during each test. The duct surfaces were uniformly heated using two heating systems: the first was an automatic temperature-controlled heater blanket completely surrounding the test duct like an oven, and the second was an internal hot-air loop through the inside of the test duct. The hot-air loop path was confined inside the test duct by insulated heat dams located at the inlet and exit ends of the test duct. A recirculating fan moved hot air into the duct inlet, through the duct, out of the duct exit, through the oven, and back to the duct inlet. The temperature nonuniformity of the test duct model wall was held very small. Test results are reported for two inlet Reynolds numbers of 200,000 and 1,150,000 (based on the square-inlet hydraulic diameter) and two free-stream turbulence intensities of about 1 percent, which is typical of wind tunnels, and up to 20 percent (using a grid), which is typical of real engine conditions.

Hippensteele, Steven A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Supersonic shock wave/vortex interaction

Although shock wave/vortex interaction is a basic and important fluid dynamics problem, very little research has been conducted on this topic. Therefore, a detailed experimental study of the interaction between a supersonic streamwise turbulent vortex and a shock wave was carried out at the Penn State Gas Dynamics Laboratory. A vortex is produced by replaceable swirl vanes located upstream of the throat of various converging-diverging nozzles. The supersonic vortex is then injected into either a coflowing supersonic stream or ambient air. The structure of the isolated vortex is investigated in a supersonic wind tunnel using miniature, fast-response, five-hole and total temperature probes and in a free jet using laser Doppler velocimetry. The cases tested have unit Reynolds numbers in excess of 25 million per meter, axial Mach numbers ranging from 2.5 to 4.0, and peak tangential Mach numbers from 0 (i.e., a pure jet) to about 0.7. The results show that the typical supersonic wake-like vortex consists of a non-isentropic, rotational core, where the reduced circulation distribution is self similar, and an outer isentropic, irrotational region. The vortex core is also a region of significant turbulent fluctuations. Radial profiles of turbulent kinetic energy and axial-tangential Reynolds stress are presented. The interactions between the vortex and both oblique and normal shock waves are investigated using nonintrusive optical diagnostics (i.e. schlieren, planar laser scattering, and laser Doppler velocimetry). Of the various types, two Mach 2.5 overexpanded-nozzle Mach disc interactions are examined in detail. Below a certain vortex strength, a 'weak' interaction exists in which the normal shock is perturbed locally into an unsteady 'bubble' shock near the vortex axis, but vortex breakdown (i.e., a stagnation point) does not occur. For stronger vortices, a random unsteady 'strong' interaction results that causes vortex breakdown. The vortex core reforms downstream of the rear stagnation point, and the reduced circulation distribution once again becomes self-similar in this region. A-new model of this interaction is proposed. Finally, a curve defining the approximate limits of supersonic vortex breakdown is presented.

Settles, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A novel ozone sensor for various environmental applications

A small, lightweight, and fast-response ozone sensor for various environmental applications is described. At a flow rate of 100 l/min(-1) the ozone sensor has a response time of significantly better than 0.1 s with a detection limit lower than 100 pptv. The ozone sensor was successfully tested in various environmental applications, i.e. in measuring directly the vertical ozone flux onto agricultural land utilizing the eddy correlation or covariance technique and in monitoring horizontal and vertical ozone profiles in the troposphere and stratosphere.

Guesten, H.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Field Micrometeorological Measurements, Process-Level Studies and Modeling of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Fluxes in a Boreal Wetland Ecosystem

The main instrumentation platform consisted of eddy correlation sensors mounted on a scaffold tower at a height of 4.2 m above the peat surface. The sensors were attached to a boom assembly which could be rotated into the prevailing winds. The boom assembly was mounted on a movable sled which, when extended, allowed sensors to be up to 2 m away from the scaffolding structure to minimize flow distortion. When retracted, the sensors could easily be installed, serviced or rotated. An electronic level with linear actuators allowed the sensors to be remotely levelled once the sled was extended. Two instrument arrays were installed. A primary (fast-response) array consisted of a three-dimensional sonic anemometer, a methane sensor (tunable diode laser spectrometer), a carbon dioxide/water vapor sensor, a fine wire thermocouple and a backup one-dimensional sonic anemometer. The secondary array consisted of a one-dimensional sonic anemometer, a fine wire thermocouple and a Krypton hygrometer. Descriptions of these sensors may be found in other reports (e.g., Verma; Suyker and Verma). Slow-response sensors provided supporting measurements including mean air temperature and humidity, mean horizontal windspeed and direction, incoming and reflected solar radiation, net radiation, incoming and reflected photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), soil heat flux, peat temperature, water-table elevation and precipitation. A data acquisition system (consisting of an IBM compatible microcomputer, amplifiers and a 16 bit analog-to-digital converter), housed in a small trailer, was used to record the fast response signals. These signals were low-pass filtered (using 8-pole Butterworth active filters with a 12.5 Hz cutoff frequency) and sampled at 25 Hz. Slow-response signals were sampled every 5 s using a network of CR21X (Campbell Scientific, Inc., Logan Utah) data loggers installed in the fen. All signals were averaged over 30-minute periods (runs).

Verma, S. B.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Atmospheric Layers Measured from the NASA DC-8 During PEM-West B and Comparison with PEM-West A

The Pacific Exploratory Mission-West B (PEM-West B) explored atmospheric layer structure using measurements of O3, H2O, CO, and CH4 from the NASA DC-8 fast-response instruments. The mission took place in February-March 1994 over the western Pacific, mainly in the northern hemisphere. Results were compared with similar measurements made during the Pacific Exploratory Mission-West A (PEM-West A) in September-October 1991. PEM-West B sampled 94 vertical profiles, with an average atmospheric depth per profile of 6.4 km, and this sampling yielded 254 discrete layers. PEM-West A sampled 105 profiles, also with a 6.4 km average depth, yielding 538 layers. Both missions revealed that layers containing high ozone and low water vapor were the most abundant, and low ozone and high water vapor layers were the next most abundant. Lidar images and potential vorticity cross sections showed the former associated with subsidence from the stratosphere in middle latitudes, spreading into the tropics. The latter was associated with convection from the boundary layer. The partition among different types of layers only changed slightly in the two missions, although PEM-West B had half as many layers. Compared to PEM-West A, PEM-West B showed only one-third the number of layers associated with polluted continental air. However, PEM-West B revealed significantly more layers showing characteristics of descended clean marine air. In some cases these layers originated from the southern hemisphere. For ozone- and water-vapor-rich layers, the ozone deviation amplitude was higher in low latitudes and lower in high latitudes in PEM-West B. The mean thickness of layers increased from about 450 m in PEM-West A to 680 in in PEM-West B. Layers also existed in the Intertropical Convergence Zone. CO2 measurements had sufficient vertical resolution to show layer structure as well.

Wu, Zhongxiang↗
NASA NTRS2000

Measurement of ClO and CO2 for ACCENT

Observations have shown that ozone in largely removed in rocket plumes within an hour of launch [M.N. Ross, et al., Nature 390, 62-64, 1997]. Large abundances of chlorine oxide (ClO) were first detected in the fresh plume of a Delta rocket in May of 1998 from the NASA WB-57 during the Air Force RISO campaign by the CORE instrument developed at UC Irvine. Similar abundances were detected a month later in the plume of an ATLAS II rocket. Although the maximum ClO observed in these plumes was twenty-five times larger than the highest values ever observed in the perturbed polar vortices, in a new study, [M.N. Ross, et al., Geophys. Res. Lett., 2000, in press] could not account for observed ozone losses based on known chlorine photochemistry. New measurements were obtained in plumes of Delta, Atlas, and Athena rockets in 1999 during ACCENT with the CORE instrument augmented with a modified LiCor non-dispersed infrared detector for fast-response measurements of carbon-dioxide (CO2). The absolute abundance of this specie constrains the rocket emission stoichiometry, and its relative abundance serves as a tracer of dilution. The combination of ClO and CO2 will provide important new insights into the temporal and spatial evolution of reactive chlorine partitioning and its dependence on rocket motor type.

Toohey, Darin↗
NASA NTRS2001

A Nanometer Aerosol Size Analyzer (nASA) for Rapid Measurement of High-Concentration Size Distributions

We have developed a fast-response Nanometer Aerosol Size Analyzer (nASA) that is capable of scanning 30 size channels between 3 and 100 nm in a total time of 3 seconds. The analyzer includes a bipolar charger (P0210), an extended-length Nanometer Differential Mobility Analyzer (Nano-DMA), and an electrometer (TSI 3068). This combination of components provides particle size spectra at a scan rate of 0.1 second per channel free of uncertainties caused by response-time-induced smearing. The nASA thus offers a fast response for aerosol size distribution measurements in high-concentration conditions and also eliminates the need for applying a de-smearing algorithm to resulting data. In addition, because of its thermodynamically stable means of particle detection, the nASA is useful for applications requiring measurements over a broad range of sample pressures and temperatures. Indeed, experimental transfer functions determined for the extended-length Nano-DMA using the Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (TDMA) technique indicate the nASA provides good size resolution at pressures as low as 200 Torr. Also, as was demonstrated in tests to characterize the soot emissions from the J85-GE engine of a T38 aircraft, the broad dynamic concentration range of the nASA makes it particularly suitable for studies of combustion or particle formation processes. Further details of the nASA performance as well as results from calibrations, laboratory tests and field applications are presented.

Han, Hee-Siew↗
NASA NTRS2004

Buoyancy Effects in Strongly-pulsed, Turbulent Diffusion Flames

The objective of this experiment is to better understand the combustion behavior of pulsed, turbulent diffusion flames by conducting experiments in microgravity. The fuel jet is fully-modulated (i.e., completely shut off between pulses) by an externally controlled valve system leading to enhanced fuel/air mixing compared to acoustically excited or partially-modulated jets. Experiments are conducted both in laboratories at UW and WPI and in the GRC 2.2s Drop Tower. A single fuel nozzle with diameter d = 2 mm is centered in a combustor 20 x 20 cm in cross section and 67 cm in height. The gaseous fuel flow (ethylene or a 50/50 ethylene/nitrogen mixture by volume) is fully-modulated by a fast-response solenoid valve with injection times from tau = 4 to tau = 300 ms. The nominal Reynolds number based on the fuel velocity during injection, U(sub jet), is 5,000. A slow oxidizer co-flow properly ventilates the flame and an electrically heated wire loop serves as a continuous ignition source. Diagnostic techniques include video imaging, fine-wire thermocouples and thermopile radiometers, and gas sampling and standard emissions instruments (the last in the laboratory only).

Hermanson, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Buoyancy Effects in Strongly-Pulsed, Turbulent Diffusion Flames

The objective of this experiment is to better understand the combustion behavior of pulsed, turbulent diffusion flames by conducting experiments in microgravity. The fuel jet is fully-modulated (i.e., completely shut off between pulses) by an externally controlled valve system leading to enhanced fuel/air mixing compared to acoustically excited or partially-modulated jets. Experiments are conducted both in laboratories at UW and WPI and in the GRC 2.2s Drop Tower. A single fuel nozzle with diameter d = 2 mm is centered in a combustor 20 20 cm in cross section and 67 cm in height. The gaseous fuel flow (ethylene or a 50/50 ethylene/nitrogen mixture by volume) is fully-modulated by a fast-response solenoid valve with injection times from tau = 4 to tau = 300 ms. The nominal Reynolds number based on the fuel velocity during injection, U(sub jet), is 5,000. A slow oxidizer co-flow properly ventilates the flame and an electrically heated wire loop serves as a continuous ignition source. Diagnostic techniques include video imaging, fine-wire thermocouples and thermopile radiometers, and gas sampling and standard emissions instruments (the last in the laboratory only).

Hermanson, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1957

Surge-Inception Study in a Two-Spool Turbojet Engine

A two-spool turbojet engine was operated in the Lewis altitude wind tunnel to study the inception of compressor surge. In addition to the usual steady-state pressure and temperature measurements, the compressors were extensively instrumented with fast-response interstage pressure transducers. Thus it was possible to obtain maps for both compressors, pressure oscillations during rotating stall, effects of stall on efficiency, and stage-loading curves. In addition, with the transient measurements, it was possible to record interstage pressures and then compute stage performance during accelerations to the stall limit. Rotating stall was found to exist at low speeds in the outer spool. Although the stall arose from poor flow conditions at the inlet-stage blade tips, the low-energy air moved through the machine from the tip at the inlet to the outer spool to the hub at the inlet to the inner spool. This tip stall ultimately resulted in compressor surge in the mid-speed region, and necessitated inter-compressor air bleed. Interstage pressure measurements during acceleration to the compressor stall limit indicated that rotating stall was not a necessary condition for compressor surge and that, at the critical stall point, the circumferential interstage pressure distribution was uniform. The exit-stage group of the inner spool was first t o stall; then, the stages upstream stalled in succession until the inlet stage of the outer spool was stalled. With a sufficiently high fuel rate, the process repeated with a cycle time of about 0.1 second. It was possible to construct reproducible stage stall lines as a function of compressor speed from the stage stall points of several such compressor surges. This transient stall line was checked by computing the stall line from a steady-state stage-loading curve. Good agreement between the stage stall lines was obtained by these two methods.

Wallner, Lewis E.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Airborne Observations of the Spatial and Temporal Variability of Tropospheric Carbon Dioxide during the INTEX-B Campaign

The Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment-North America (INTEX-NA) is an international field campaign envisioned to investigate the transport and transformation of gases and aerosols on transcontinental/intercontinental scales and assess their impact on air quality and climate. Phase B (INTEX-B) of the mission was conducted during a 10- week period from March 1 to May 15, 2006 and focused initially on pollution outflow from the Mexico City Metropolitan Area, later addressing the transport of pollution from Asia to North America during springtime meteorological conditions. During the deployment, fast-response (1-s resolution) CO2 measurements were recorded aboard the NASA DC-8 providing valuable regional-scale information on carbon sources and sinks over sparsely sampled areas of North America and adjacent ocean basins. When coupled with the enormously sophisticated chemistry payload on the DC-8, these measurements collectively afford extremely powerful multi-tracer constraints for carbon source/sink attribution. Preliminary examination of the two data sets from the INTEX-B campaign, acquired one month apart, reveals not only the influence of the CO2 seasonal cycle, but also the preponderance of human population and industrial activity in the northern hemisphere. In this presentation, a synergy of the ensemble of airborne and surface observations, bottomup emission inventories, as well as transport history are invoked in a GIS framework to elucidate the source/sink processes reflected in the observations. The airborne CO2 data, along with simultaneous surface measurements (e.g. NOAA ESRL), are examined to establish the vertical distribution and variability of CO2 as a function of location. The role of localized sources, long-range transport, the biosphere, stratospheric exchange, and dynamical processes on the CO2 spatial variability observed throughout the tropospheric column will be discussed.

Vay, Stephanie A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Chase to Capture Gamma Ray Bursts

Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions in the universe, thought to be the birth cries of black holes. It has taken 40 years of international cooperation and competition to begin to unravel the mystery of their origin. The most recent chapter in this field is being written by the SWIFT mission, a fast-response satellite with 3 power telescopes. An international team from countries all over the world participates in the chase to capture the fading light of bursts detected by SWIFT. This talk will discuss the challenges and excitement of building this space observatory. New results will be presented on our growing understanding of exploding stars and fiery mergers of orbiting stars.

Gehrels, Neil↗
NASA NTRS2007

NASA Tech Briefs, September 2007

Topics covered include; Rapid Fabrication of Carbide Matrix/Carbon Fiber Composites; Coating Thermoelectric Devices To Suppress Sublimation; Ultrahigh-Temperature Ceramics; Improved C/SiC Ceramic Composites Made Using PIP; Coating Carbon Fibers With Platinum; Two-Band, Low-Loss Microwave Window; MCM Polarimetric Radiometers for Planar Arrays; Aperture-Coupled Thin-Membrane L-Band Antenna; WGM-Based Photonic Local Oscillators and Modulators; Focal-Plane Arrays of Quantum-Dot Infrared Photodetectors; Laser Range and Bearing Finder With No Moving Parts; Microrectenna: A Terahertz Antenna and Rectifier on a Chip; Miniature L-Band Radar Transceiver; Robotic Vision-Based Localization in an Urban Environment; Programs for Testing an SSME-Monitoring System; Cathodoluminescent Source of Intense White Light; Displaying and Analyzing Antenna Radiation Patterns; Payload Operations Support Team Tools; Space-Shuttle Emulator Software; Soft Real-Time PID Control on a VME Computer; Analyzing Radio-Frequency Coverage for the ISS; Nanorod-Based Fast-Response Pressure-Sensitive Paints; Capacitors Would Help Protect Against Hypervelocity Impacts; Diaphragm Pump With Resonant Piezoelectric Drive; Improved Quick-Release Pin Mechanism; Designing Rolling-Element Bearings; Reverse-Tangent Injection in a Centrifugal Compressor; Inertial Measurements for Aero-assisted Navigation (IMAN); Analysis of Complex Valve and Feed Systems; Improved Path Planning Onboard the Mars Exploration Rovers; Robust, Flexible Motion Control for the Mars Explorer Rovers; Solar Sail Spaceflight Simulation; Fluorine-Based DRIE of Fused Silica; Mechanical Alloying for Making Thermoelectric Compounds; Process for High-Rate Fabrication of Alumina Nanotemplates; Electroform/Plasma-Spray Laminates for X-Ray Optics; An Automated Flying-Insect Detection System; Calligraphic Poling of Ferroelectric Material; Blackbody Cavity for Calibrations at 200 to 273 K; KML Super Overlay to WMS Translator; High-Performance Tiled WMS and KML Web Server; Modeling of Radiative Transfer in Protostellar Disks; Composite Pulse Tube; Photometric Calibration of Consumer Video Cameras; Criterion for Identifying Vortices in High- Pressure Flows; Amplified Thermionic Cooling Using Arrays of Nanowires; Delamination-Indicating Thermal Barrier Coatings; Preventing Raman Lasing in High-Q WGM Resonators; Procedures for Tuning a Multiresonator Photonic Filter; Robust Mapping of Incoherent Fiber-Optic Bundles; Extended-Range Ultrarefractive 1D Photonic Crystal Prisms; Rapid Analysis of Mass Distribution of Radiation Shielding; Modeling Magnetic Properties in EZTB; Deep Space Network Antenna Logic Controller; Modeling Carbon and Hydrocarbon Molecular Structures in EZTB; BigView Image Viewing on Tiled Displays; and Imaging Sensor Flight and Test Equipment Software.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2016

Wavenumber-frequency Spectra of Pressure Fluctuations Measured via Fast Response Pressure Sensitive Paint

The recent advancement in fast-response Pressure-Sensitive Paint (PSP) allows time-resolved measurements of unsteady pressure fluctuations from a dense grid of spatial points on a wind tunnel model. This capability allows for direct calculations of the wavenumber-frequency (k-ω) spectrum of pressure fluctuations. Such data, useful for the vibro-acoustics analysis of aerospace vehicles, are difficult to obtain otherwise. For the present work, time histories of pressure fluctuations on a flat plate subjected to vortex shedding from a rectangular bluff-body were measured using PSP. The light intensity levels in the photographic images were then converted to instantaneous pressure histories by applying calibration constants, which were calculated from a few dynamic pressure sensors placed at selective points on the plate. Fourier transform of the time-histories from a large number of spatial points provided k-ω spectra for pressure fluctuations. The data provides first glimpse into the possibility of creating detailed forcing functions for vibro-acoustics analysis of aerospace vehicles, albeit for a limited frequency range.

Pressure Sensitive Paint↗