The design and testing of an aerodynamic model of a high speed wind tunnel

Abstract

In conjunction with the design of the high speed Cooperative Wind Tunnel at the California Institute of Technology an aerodynamic model was built and tested. Methods of design of the contraction, working section, and diffuser are explained. The model test showed that the working section of a wind tunnel operating at a Mach Number greater than 0.7 must have adjustable walls to maintain a constant velocity through the working section. The unsatisfactory design of the diffuser is demonstrated by both static pressure measurements and visual observations. A description is given of visual observations of supersonic phenomena occurring in the working section and diffuser of the model.