DEVELOPMENT OF PRESSURE-SENSITIVE PAINT TECHNIQUE FOR SURFACE PRESSURE MEASUREMENT IN A MARS WIND TUNNEL

摘要

A surface pressure measurement technique using Pressure-Sensitive Paint (PSP) has been developed for use in the Mars Wind Tunnel (MWT) at Tohoku University. The result of sample tests showed that PSP composed of PdTFPP and poly(TMSP) has high sensitivity at pressures as low as 1 kPa. To evaluate the effectiveness of the PSP technique, a 5%-thick blunt flat-plate model painted with the PSP were tested in the MWT. The total pressure of the tunnel were changed from 1 to 10 kPa, covering the Reynolds number range from about 170 to 1,660 with respect to the plate thickness. Using PSP, surface pressure distributions caused by leading-edge separation bubble were clearly visualized. The PSP data were in good quantitative agreement with pressure tap data when the model calibration and temperature correction were employed. The reattachment length observed in this experiment was strongly dependent on Reynolds number. This trend agreed well with the previous data obtained in water tunnels.