Hypersonic Aerodynamic Design Benefits from Thermal Imaging

This puts a huge strain on the aerodynamic and thermal designs of vessels and components. Travelling at hypersonic velocities, massive airflows would rush past a vessels surface, causing friction, which in turn causes a rise in temperature. To test components and their capability to withstand airflows at such velocities, the University of Manchester researchers have combined their hypersonic wind tunnel with a FLIR SC655 thermal imaging camera.

According to Professor Konstantinos Kontis, head of the Aerospace Research Group at the University of Manchester We chose the FLIR SC655 because it is capable of recording thermal maps of the entire surface of the test object. He added It has an excellent thermal sensitivity, so it allows us to record tiny temperature differences. With the external triggering options and high speed video capturing capabilities it is the perfect tool for this type of test. To capture the thermal footage and perform the initial analysis of the temperature data the Research Group have used FLIR ResearchIR software.

The Aerospace Research Group believe that knowledge gained by these wind tunnel tests will help enhance designs for high speed aircrafts and re-entry space vessels that need to be capable of bringing payloads to orbit and returning to the Earth's surface more or less intact. The FLIR SC655 thermal imaging camera is a crucial tool for these developments, which will lead to better version of hypersonic craft like the Boeing X-5 and the NASA X-43, concluded Professor Kontis.