Novel Sensor for Wind Tunnel Calibration and Characterization

Advances in computational capabilities for modeling the performance of advanced flight vehicles depend on verification measurements made in ground-based wind tunnels. As part of this process, the wind tunnels themselves must be well-calibrated and characterized. In particular to this project, the density, pressure and multi-component velocity of the air flow are of key interest. Southwest Sciences, in collaboration with the Southwest Research Institute, proposes to develop a novel, non-intrusive, laser-based measurement system for characterizing and calibrating the flow conditions upstream and downstream of test articles in wind tunnels. It uses inexpensive visible diode lasers and could be configured to match the needs of any particular type of wind tunnel, ranging from subsonic to hypersonic. The Phase I research will concentrate on developing and demonstrating the basic methodology of the system over a modest range of conditions. In Phase II we would expand the operation to the full range of expected conditions and verify the performance of the system in NASA-provided wind tunnels.