A 2025+ View of the Art of Wind Tunnel Testing

Abstract

The maturation of several technologies (e.g., computational power, information storage and transfer, physics-based modeling and simulation (M&S), automation sciences, optical-based instrumentation, micro-electromechanical devices, signal processing, telecommunications) applicable to wind tunnel testing offers the possibility of acquiring test information of quality and quantity that is impossible today. A confluence of this mature technological capability, new wind tunnel features designed to support this technological capability, personnel skills, and a test process to match can make the future possibility a reality. The real challenge as we see it is defining the development needs in ground test, M&S, and flight test and merging these results into a managed database and repository system of maturation requirements. A view of this future possibility being a reality in 2025+ is developed and discussed. This article captures considerations and recommendations gleaned from several efforts external to the Arnold Engineering Development Center that look at the future for requirements.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA522904

Entities

People

  • Edward Mickle
  • Frank Steinle
  • Michael Mills

Organizations

  • Arnold Engineering Development Complex

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Boundary Layer
  • Commercial Aircraft
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Engineers
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Military Aircraft
  • Research Facilities
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Facilities
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Wind Tunnel Tests
  • Wind Tunnels

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Software Engineering.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics