Demonstrations of a Pressure Sensitive Paint Data System in the AEDC Propulsion Wind Tunnel 16T

Abstract

A prototype Pressure Sensitive Paint (PS P) data system was assembled to demonstrate the capability to acquire and process surface pressure date using PSP in the AFDC Propulsion Wind Tunnel 16T. The first test was preformed on a 1/10-scale model of the Dornier Alpha Jet with a Transonic Technology (TST) Wing to obtain PSP data for comparison with conventional pressure measurements and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) results. The second test was performed on a 15-percent scale model of the F-18 ElF to obtain PSP data on the upper and lower surface of the F-18 horizontal tail for comparison with conventional pressure measurements. Also, the PSP data were integrated to obtain loads on the horizontal tail for comparison with conventional pressure-integrated and balance-measured loads. A paint formulation developed at AEDC was used in the tests. Some of the unique features of the paint are discussed, and details of the data acquisition and reduction system are presented. The data system was controlled by the facility computer, which acquired PSP data automatically. The digitized images were processed to obtain qualitative images of the surface pressure distribution within minutes of acquisition. The images were processed further after the tests to obtain quantitative pressure data. Comparisons with measured pressure data, CFD solutions (TST only), and measured and integrated loads (F-18 only) are presented.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1995
Accession Number
ADA300236

Entities

People

  • M. E. Sellers

Organizations

  • Arnold Engineering Development Complex

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Force
  • Boundary Layer
  • Cameras
  • Coefficients
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computers
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Data Acquisition
  • Data Reduction
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Horizontal Stabilizers
  • Luminescence
  • Measurement
  • Pressure Distribution
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Wind Tunnels

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerodynamics/Aeronautics.
  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Computer Vision.