Test Rig for Effective Reproduction of Inlet Distorted Supersonic Flows

The subsonic diffuser duct of a modern tactical aircraft is the most difficult component to verify performance at off-design conditions, because of the large cost of testing/modeling complete installations at large scale. It is desirable to effectively reproduce the flow at the end of a supersonic inlet for interfacing with a direct-connect subsonic duct rig. The CFDRC team proposes to deliver a rig producing supersonic flow at roughly Mach 1.3 and with distortion and swirl levels consistent with extreme off-design conditions through a mixture of compliant wall features at the facility throat and novel jet/vane devices embedded in the flow. In Phase I, the team of CFDRC and UAH will both analytically predict and experimentally verify the effect of these devices on the supersonic flow, and will match provided baseline distortion patterns. In Phase II, the fixed geometry of Phase I will transition to fully-actuated, adjustable versions of the respective distortion-producing hardware. The hardware will be designed and fabricated, and devices will be demonstrated in equivalent tunnel conditions at UAH Propulsion Research Center facilities and then transitioned for integration with the Air Force ADAC facility at the end of Phase II.