High Supersonic Tunnel (HSST)
University of Manchester
- Location:
- Manchester
- Test Section 1 size:
- Test flow size: 150mm diameter test jet
Test section size: plenum section around test jet with 80mm below, 100mm above and to the sides of the nozzle.
- Test support:
- Installation, wiring, design, and tunnel operation. Installation of custom hardware and patch panels. Bench power supplies lighting for experiments.
- Designation:
- Blow-down
- Performance:
-
Mach Number: 4, 5, 6
Maximum Flow Speed: 670 – 1300 m/s
Reynolds No: up to 25M/m
Total Pressure: up to 850 kPa
Temperature: up to 950K
Turbulence intensity: ~1%
Run Time: up to 7 seconds
Typical Recharge Time: ~10 minutes
- Testing Capabilities:
-
Model Support: Full model sting + 3 axis balance, half model 3 axis balance, release testing from magnetic supports
Data Acquisition: Modular NI CRIO with multiple high-speed AI channels. Kulites, PCB, Endevco gauges, Thermocouples, remote traverses. Phantom T2410
Outputs: Forces/moment, pressure, velocity and surface temperature
Dual-Sting testing
Drop testing
Mach 5 centre-body nozzles for boundary layer transition measurement
Flow visualisation: Surface oil flow viz, schlieren & shadowgraph imaging
Infrared thermography
Pressure-sensitive paints
Temperature-sensitive paints
PIV
BOS
Pressure transducers
Planar-laser scattering
- Specialist Rigs:
- • Intake unstart rig – adjustable back pressure generator for intakes
• Magnetic release rig – model held with electromagnets and dropped during test
• Mach 5 centrebody nozzle for plume and boundary layer growth studies
• In-tunnel PSP calibration capability
• Synchronous PSP and Schlieren measurement capability (steady and fast)
- Equipment:
- • Three component (Lift/Drag/pitch moment) sting balance on arc sector mount (Aerotech).
• High Speed (Phantom V310 or Photron SAZ) or High Resolution (Digital SLR or Basler Ace machine vision cameras) Schlieren System (arc lamp excitation). Versatile system with high magnification available.
• Model deformation and deflection measurements (LAVision)
• FLIR IR A65SC compact camera
• Four-camera tomographic PIV System with nanopoweder seeding (LAVision). Stereoscopic PIV Systems (LAVision, Dantec, and TSI). Multiple PIV lasers, including light arms and fibre guides (up to 200mJ per pulse).
• Pressure-Sensitive Paint systems using ratiometric or lifetime measurements of single component or binary coatings (PCO).
• Unsteady pressure transducer measurements using Kulite rugged transducers.
Capabilities
• Steady and Unsteady PSP measurements
• Simultaneous shape and surface pressure measurements.
• Steady and unsteady background oriented schlieren measurements.
• Boundary layer transition measurements using TSP or IR.
• Powered models (inlet blockage) and drop testing.
• Floor and ceiling plenum mounts for models or instrumentation. Half or full model configurations.
• Optical access from side and above tunnel. Removable and reconfigurable plates. Germanium window in plenum roof for IR measurements using IR camera.
• Tunnel patch panel to mount lights, cameras, sensors inside section easily