Fabrication and Cold-Flow Testing of Subscale Space-Based Laser Geometry

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to build a facility that could simulate the expected fluid flow properties in the conceptual Space Based Laser Integrated Flight Experiment (SBL IFX) gas dynamic laser using cold-flow, and to investigate the performance of the model. A 1/5th scale model was fabricated and mated to a blow-down/vacuum wind tunnel. Using rapid data acquisition and schlieren photography the diffuser was determined to initially produce similar fluid flow to the SBL IFX, but rapidly became subsonic due to a transient normal shock wave formed when the wind tunnel was started.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA401675

Entities

People

  • Scott E. Bergren

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Boundary Layer
  • Cameras
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Data Acquisition
  • Fabrication
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Flow
  • Gas Dynamic Lasers
  • Geometry
  • Photographs
  • Photography
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Research Facilities
  • Test Facilities
  • Turbulent Mixing
  • Wind Tunnels

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Combustion Dynamics and Shock Wave Physics.
  • Educational Psychology
  • Fluid Dynamics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster