Transonic and Supersonic Wind Tunnels

The three transonic and supersonic wind tunnels located in the main laboratory of the Hessert Center are independently connected to a common manifold through a series of valves. The atmosphere provides the stagnation conditions, and the manifold is evacuated using up to three vacuum pumps, each driven by a 125 horsepower electric motor. The pumps are each capable of moving 87.79 cubic meters per minute (3100 CFM) of air and allow for continuous, extended duration operation of the tunnels. Each tunnel is equipped with a high contraction ratio inlet. Tests can be designed for a number of different test sections ranging in size from 40.3 to 161.3 square centimeters (6.25 to 25 square inches). An extended test section for turbulent, compressible boundary layer research has recently been developed. A six percent slotted wall transonic test section is available with adjustable plenum pressure. These tunnels can be operated over a Mach number range of 0.3 to 1.3. They have also been adapted for nozzle and base flow studies and measurements on two and three-dimensional configurations. One unique feature of these tunnels is the ability to perform smoke flow visualization using direct smoke injection at transonic and supersonic speeds. The high contraction ratio inlets, up to 150:1, permit injection of smoke upstream of the inlet. This capability has been used in a variety of applications including the transonic flow about circular cylinders. Schlieren and shadowgraph systems are also available for flow visualization. Current research includes a study of the unsteady forced response of rotor and stator blades using a transonic cascade driven by this facility. A new compressible shear layer test section will be completed in the near future to study fluid optic interactions in weakly-compressible, transitional shear-layer flows.

Direct comments, questions, and corrections to amedept@nd.edu