An embedded wireless data acquisition system for wind tunnel model applications

Abstract

An in-model data acquisition system has been developed that can accept inputs from various sensors and transfer the data wirelessly to an access point outside a wind tunnel's test section. This system was developed as a potential alternative to the current state of wind tunnel data collection, which requires the use of long lengths of cable carrying low-level sensor signals that are extremely susceptible to induced noise. Irk addition, present methods of retrieving data require that multiple cables be routed across the balance, creating alternate load paths. With the advent of wireless data transfer, not only are these two items addressed, but also the reduction of external cables to the model will reduce wind tunnel model installation time as well as the cost of operation. This paper will describe the results of two separate wind tunnel tests, conducted at NASA Langley's Transonic Dynamics Tunnel and the 16-foot Transonic Tunnel, in which this new embedded system was used to collect data from typical aerodynamic measurements. The recorded results from these wind tunnel experiments include data from pressure, model attitude, temperature, and force balance transducers.