Structural Response Prediction: Full-field, Dynamic Pressure and Displacement Measurements of a Panel Excited by Shock Boundary-layer Interaction

Abstract

Abstract : The United States Air Force has attempted to field a hypersonic vehicle for decades. Time and time again, experimental vehicle programs have been initiated only to have been prematurely canceled. Although the reasons for early program termination are many, some interesting structural concerns have promulgated the history of these hypersonic vehicle efforts. Hypersonic vehicle design occurs at the intersection of aero-thermal-elastic disciplines, and to design, analyze and field a production-quality vehicle will require an appreciation and consideration of those intersecting disciplines. One specific area of concern has been the effect of shock boundary-layer interaction (SBLI) on the local response of outer mold line (OML) vehicle panel-structure. Vehicle bow-shocks and shocks emanating from vehicle corners, protuberances, compression ramps and control surfaces can lead to an amplification of temperature and fluctuating pressures or even couple with structural modes of vibration in turn leading to premature and unanticipated structural failures. To that end, a series of experiments have been started to investigate the response of a compliant aircraft-like panel to turbulent boundary layer noise and shock interactions. Specifically, the purpose of the present experimental investigation is twofold: 1) to develop the necessary full-field, non-contacting measurement techniques that allow for complete characterization of the structural loading and response, and 2) to gauge the impact of SBLI on the response of the structure. This work, as opposed to other studies, focuses on the low-frequency content in the turbulent boundary layer that is prone to couple with the structure. This low-frequency emphasis necessitates long data time-records. Full-field fast-reacting pressure sensitive paint (PSP) and non-contact optical displacement results are presented detailing the effect of the turbulent and SBLI flow conditions on the structure. The full-field experimental data was red