Fast Response, Fiber-Optic Micromachined Five-Hole Probe for Three-Dimensional Flow Measurements in Harsh Environments

The proposed instrumentation technology has the potential to be transportable across multiple NASA facility classes as well as implemented across government-owned, industry and academic institution test facilities. The target market is the wind tunnel test and instrumentation market, beginning with low-speed wind-tunnels but also expanding into higher-speed, high temperature tunnels. In addition to wind-tunnel testing, the proposed sensor technology is also applicable to the types of technological solutions sought for flight-test measurements, as the sensing head is already compact and solutions exist for miniaturizing the optical sensor control unit. Given the capability of the proposed transducers ability to withstand harsh environments, the technology is applicable to multiple ground and flight test facilities. The target application for entry into the NASA Aeronautics Test Program is as instrumentation for 3D flow measurements within ground test facilities such as those at NASA Langley, Glenn, and Ames Research Centers. In addition, the instrumentation can be further miniaturized to enable entry into flight test facilities, such as those at Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center.

The target markets can be broken down into immediate and potential long-term markets. The primary immediate market is the scientific test, measurement and instrumentation market. These applications constitute a low volume/high average selling price (ASP) market entry, which allows for slightly higher margins to garner resources for market-centric innovation. The inherently expensive nature of conducting these measurements represents a very niche market with highly specific needs coupled with stringent transducer performance specifications. The high performance and relatively low volume enables establishment of a value based on per-unit cost while addressing long term customer needs. This approach also allows for room to resolve product issues related to process variations and yield. It also helps make improvements by incorporating customer feedback on product performance while generating revenue. IC2s technology attempts to address this market directly through the development efforts proposed in this proposal and a follow-on Phase II. The proposed technology seeks to meet all performance and operational requirements for the scientific instrumentation market. As part of IC2s longer-term vision, the company will later seek to slide the product focus of this technology into a higher volume market. The potential long-term markets include scientific flight-test measurements and operational in-flight sensors for feedback and control. More »