Advanced sensing technology in the form of a robust shear stress measurement system for both flight and ground test facilities will provide RHRC with a unique and highly marketable product. The ability to measure laminar/turbulent transition and both laminar/turbulent separation locations will be of significant importance to both test engineers and researchers. With the current high costs of both flight and ground testing, coupled with reduced design and test schedules, the proposed technology will be highly desirable in military, government, and civilian testing markets. The technology developed by RHRC under this program will allow the efficient and cost effective measurement of a fundamental aerodynamic quantity on vehicles across a wide range of applications other than aircraft. These include automobiles, hydrodynamic, and civil engineering applications. RHRC will be able to provide complete sensor systems. The technology can also be easily licensed.
A robust shear stress measurement system for both flight and ground test facilities has significant potential application at several NASA centers, and across a wide range of NASA facilities. The ability to produce reliable, robust and cost effective shear stress measurements is an important goal for NASA. By being able to determine boundary-layer transition and separation locations, the proposed system can be used to validate transition prediction and multidisciplinary analysis and optimization tools. The system could be used in boundary-layer ingestion and optimization efforts. In a more permanent set-up, the robust measurement system could be used as input for vehicle adaptive control in uncertain environments or adverse conditions, or for closed loop flow control for aircraft, rotorcraft, or high lift technologies. Accurate, robust, and cost effective shear stress measurement is a necessary and compelling technology. NASA centers and facilities will be eager to exploit the proposed technology.
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