Abstract.
In order to overcome the interference of the model mounting system with the external aerodynamics of the body during shock tunnel testing, a new free floating internally mountable balance system that ensures unrestrained model motion during testing has been designed, fabricated and tested. Minimal friction ball bearings are used for ensuring the free floating condition of the model during tunnel testing. The drag force acting on a blunt leading edge flat plate at hypersonic Mach number has been measured using the new balance system. Finite element modelling (FEM) and CFD are exhaustively used in the design as well as for calibrating the new balance system. The experimentally measured drag force on the blunt leading edge flat plate at stagnation enthalpy of 0.7 MJ/kg and nominal Mach number of 5.75 matches well with FEM results. The concept can also be extended for measuring all the three fundamental aerodynamic forces in short duration test facilities like free piston driven shock tunnels.
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Communicated by K. Takayama
Received: 1 July 2003, Revised: 27 August 2003, Accepted: 15 October 2003, Published online: 10 February 2004
Correspondence to: G. Jagadeesh
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Joarder, R., Jagadeesh, G. A new free floating accelerometer balance system for force measurements in shock tunnels. Shock Waves 13, 409–412 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-003-0225-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-003-0225-y