A Robust and Cost-Effective Pressure Measurement System for Advanced Unsteady Aerodynamic Applications

Robust and accurate measurement of unsteady surface pressure distribution is important for the characterization, modeling, prediction, and control of unsteady aerodynamics in today’s agile aircraft systems. Time-resolved unsteady pressure measurement at a large number of ports (on the order of 100s) with high accuracy and high reliability during wind tunnel and flight test applications has been historically a challenging issue for instrumentation engineers. Pressure scanners are robust and cost-effective instruments for acquiring unsteady pressure measurements. However, the pneumatic distortion (lag, attenuation, and resonance) due to the tubing between the sensing module and surface port limits the usefulness of such measurements. This distortion reduces the accuracy of the measurements when unsteady aerodynamics are of concern. This issue has limited the application of pressure scanners for unsteady pressure measurements in wind tunnel and flight-testing applications. By combining state-of-the-art data acquisition electronics, advanced digital signal processing software elements, and an innovative in-situ tubing-response calibration system, Resono Pressure Systems has enabled time-accurate reconstruction of the distorted unsteady pressure signals. By customizing the technology to meet the necessary performance and technical requirements, we intend to develop a commercial-quality version of our unsteady pressure measurement system for USAF wind tunnel facilities.