Hypervelocity Tunnel No. 9 Mach 7 thermal structural facility verification and calibration

Abstract

Abstract : This report summarizes the verification and calibration of the new Mach 7 Thermal Structural Facility located at the White Oak, Maryland, site of the Dahlgren Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center. This effort was in support of the development of a thermal structural ground testing capability for interceptor seeker windows and radomes. The new facility is located in the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel No. 9 complex and uses common gas supply and vacuum source hardware. Test included the initial facility operation as well as a detailed calibration at three specific design points. Calibration data were collected using a Pitot-probe rake and a blunt sphere cone, each mounted at multiple locations in the test cell to fully characterize the test environment. The Thermal Structural Facility achieves Mach 7 flow conditions with freestream pressures and temperatures equivalent to ambient pressures and temperatures for altitudes between 38,000 and 67,000 ft (11.5 and 20.5 km) for test times up to 5 sec. This ground test facility provides the capability necessary to test full-scale intercepter seeker windows in a true aero-thermal environment without the need for scaling.