A performance analysis of gas-driven shock tubes shows that transonic airfoil flows with chord Reynolds numbers in the range of 100 million can be generated behind the primary shock in a large shock tube. A study of flow over simple airfoils has been carried out at low and intermediate Reynolds numbers to assess the testing technique. Results obtained from schlieren photos and airfoil pressure measurements show that steady transonic flows similar to those observed for the airfoils in wind tunnels can be generated within the available testing time in a shock tube with either properly-contoured test section walls or a properly-designed slotted-wall test section. The study indicates that the shock tube is a useful facility for studying two-dimensional high Reynolds number transonic airfoil flows.
The shock tube as a device for testing transonic airfoils at high Reynolds numbers
Aerodynamic Testing Conference ; 1978 ; San Diego, CA
1978-01-01
Miscellaneous
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English
Transonic low-Reynolds number airfoils
AIAA | 1992
|Transonic low Reynolds number airfoils
AIAA | 1991
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