PLUME MODELING AND TESTING

TACTICAL MANEUVERING INTERCEPTORS OPERATE IN THE ATMOSPHERE BUT MAY BE AT A HIGH ENOUGH ALTITUDE TO ENCOUNTER FREE MOLECULAR FLOW. PLUME MODELS USED TO SIMULATE VARIOUS CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED DURING FLIGHT REQUIRE INCREASINGLY COMPLEX COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES TO ADVANCE THE STATE-OF-THE-ART. AS THESE MODELS BECOME MORE AND MORE COMPLEX THE RESULTS PREDICTED BY THE MODEL ARE NOT EASILY RELATED TO THE AVAILABLE DATA FOR MODEL VERIFICATION AND/OR CALIBRATION. IN THIS PROPOSAL, PHYSICON WANTS TO DEVELOP A NEW, INNOVATIVE TEST FACILITY SPECIFICALLY TAILORED TO PROVIDE REALISTIC DATA FOR DETERMINING PLUME BEHAVIOR OF MANEUVERING INTERCEPTORS. INCLUDED IN THIS TEST FACILITY WILL BE HIGH MACH AIRFLOW, VARIABLE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS, PLUME INTERACTIONS, AND INTERCEPTOR RESPONSE MEASUREMENTS. THE INSTRUMENTATION DEVELOPED WITH THE TEST FACILITY WILL BE DESIGNED TO LOOK AT PLUME/INTERCEPTOR INTERACTIONS, PLUME/SENSOR INTERACTIONS AND OTHER PHENOMENA.