Wind-tunnel research was recently conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center s 31-Inch Mach 10 Hypersonic Facility in support of the Mars Science Laboratory s aerodynamic program. Researchers were interested in understanding the interaction between the freestream flow and the reaction control system onboard the entry vehicle. A five-component balance, designed for hypersonic testing with pressurized flow-through capability, was used. In addition to the aerodynamic forces, the balance was exposed to both thermal gradients and varying internal cavity pressures. Historically, the effect of these environmental conditions on the response of the balance have not been fully characterized due to the limitations in the calibration facilities. Through statistical design of experiments, thermal and pressure effects were strategically and efficiently integrated into the calibration of the balance. As a result of this new approach, researchers were able to use the balance continuously throughout the wide range of temperatures and pressures and obtain real-time results. Although this work focused on a specific application, the methodology shown can be applied more generally to any force measurement system calibration.


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    Title :

    Wind-Tunnel Balance Characterization for Hypersonic Research Applications


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    49th AiAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting ; 2011 ; Orlando, FL, United States


    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2012-04-11


    Type of media :

    Miscellaneous


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English


    Keywords :