LASER-DRIVEN HYPERSONIC AIRBREATHING PROPULSION SIMULATOR

THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES A NOVEL CONCEPT FOR INCORPORATING PROPULSIVE EFFECTS INTO WIND TUNNEL TESTING OF HYPERSONIC AIRCRAFT MODELS. THE CONCEPT INVOLVES USING A LASER BEAM TO ADD HEAT TO THE AIRFLOW ENTERING THE AIRCRAFT'S POWER PLANT, A RAMJET ENGINE. THE BEAM, WHICH MAY BE FROM A CONTINUOUS WAVE OR A REPETITIVELY-PULSED LASER, ENTERS THE NOZZLE AND IS FOCUSED AT A SPOT. HEAT TRANSFER OCCURS DUE TO ABSORPTION OF ENERGY AT LASER WAVELENGTHS INTO THE GAS. IT IS ENVISIONED THAT A COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CO2 OR OTHER SIMILAR LASERS WILL BE SUITABLE FOR CURRENT APPLICATIONS. IT APPEARS PLAUSIBLE TO PRODUCE THRUST OF ONE ENGINE FOR A 1/100TH SCALE MODEL OF A TYPICAL MULTI-ENGINE HYPERSONIC VEHICLE WITHOUT REQUIRING PROHIBITIVE LASER POWER LEVELS. IF THE CONCEPT IS SHOWN TO BE FEASIBLE AND CAN BE DEMONSTRATED EXPERIMENTALLY, A SIGNIFICANT NEW DIMENSION WILL BE ADDED TO THE UTILITY OF HIGH-SPEED WIND TUNNELS. A SIMULTANEOUS EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION OF AERODYNAMIC AND PROPULSION (OR PROPULSION-INDUCED) EFFECTS WILL BECOME POSSIBLE. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES A NOVEL CONCEPT FOR INCORPORATING PROPULSIVE EFFECTS INTO WIND TUNNEL TESTING OF HYPERSONIC AIRCRAFT MODELS. THE CONCEPT INVOLVES USING A LASER BEAM TO ADD HEAT TO THE AIRFLOW ENTERING THE AIRCRAFT'S POWER PLANT, A RAMJET ENGINE. THE BEAM, WHICH MAY BE FROM A CONTINUOUS WAVE OR A REPETITIVELY-PULSED LASER, ENTERS THE NOZZLE AND IS FOCUSED AT A SPOT. HEAT TRANSFER OCCURS DUE TO ABSORPTION OF ENERGY AT LASER WAVELENGTHS INTO THE GAS. IT IS ENVISIONED THAT A COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CO2 OR OTHER SIMILAR LASERS WILL BE SUITABLE FOR CURRENT APPLICATIONS. IT APPEARS PLAUSIBLE TO PRODUCE THRUST OF ONE ENGINE FOR A 1/100TH SCALE MODEL OF A TYPICAL MULTI-ENGINE HYPERSONIC VEHICLE WITHOUT REQUIRING PROHIBITIVE LASER POWER LEVELS. IF THE CONCEPT IS SHOWN TO BE FEASIBLE AND CAN BE DEMONSTRATED EXPERIMENTALLY, A SIGNIFICANT NEW DIMENSION WILL BE ADDED TO THE UTILITY OF HIGH-SPEED WIND TUNNELS. A SIMULTANEOUS EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION OF AERODYNAMIC AND PROPULSION (OR PROPULSION-INDUCED) EFFECTS WILL BECOME POSSIBLE.