Measurement of surface pressure and distributed strain on an IC3X model in a Mach 5 flow using PSP and fiber-optic sensors

This presentation will discuss an experimental study of the mean strain induced by aerodynamic loads on a slender axisymmetric model in a Mach 5 flow. The experimental measurements include pressure-sensitive paint (PSP), temperature-sensitive paint (TSP), and fiber-optic sensors to obtain surface pressure, surface temperature, and strain distribution of the structure, respectively. Two vehicle models, based on the outer-mold line of the IC3X vehicle, are tested at 0-degree and 6-degree angles of attack in the UT Austin Mach 5 wind tunnel. The models are 3D-printed and designed to have varying degrees of elasticity under the aerodynamic loads expected during testing. The PSP and TSP images are obtained at a steady state flow period of the wind tunnel and averaged over approximately one second. The TSP is used to correct the PSP for temperature effects. The data are mapped to a 3D reconstruction of the model built from single camera spatial calibration and MATLAB's Computer Vision Toolbox. The lift distribution and pitching moment are calculated using the pressure distribution on the vehicle model.