Laser Displacement Sensors for Wind Tunnel Model Position Measurements
Wind tunnel measurements of two-dimensional wing sections, or airfoils, are the building block of aerodynamic predictions for many aerodynamic applications. In these experiments, the forces and pitching moment on the airfoil are measured as a function of the orientation of the airfoil relative to th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-11-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/18/12/4085 |
| _version_ | 1828118994385633280 |
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| author | Matthew Kuester Nanyaporn Intaratep Aurélien Borgoltz |
| author_facet | Matthew Kuester Nanyaporn Intaratep Aurélien Borgoltz |
| author_sort | Matthew Kuester |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Wind tunnel measurements of two-dimensional wing sections, or airfoils, are the building block of aerodynamic predictions for many aerodynamic applications. In these experiments, the forces and pitching moment on the airfoil are measured as a function of the orientation of the airfoil relative to the incoming airflow. Small changes in this angle (called the angle of attack, or <inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <mi>α</mi> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>) can create significant changes in the forces and moments, so accurately measuring the angle of attack is critical in these experiments. This work describes the implementation of laser displacement sensors in a wind tunnel; the sensors measured the distance between the wind tunnel walls and the airfoil, which was then used to calculate the model position. The uncertainty in the measured laser distances, based on the sensor resolution and temperature drift, is comparable to the uncertainty in traditional linear encoder measurements. Distances from multiple sensors showed small, but statistically significant, amounts of model deflection and rotation that would otherwise not have been detected, allowing for an improved angle of attack measurement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:41:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b930680c27774af5bfc41e0aaaeb8e31 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:41:06Z |
| publishDate | 2018-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-b930680c27774af5bfc41e0aaaeb8e312022-12-22T04:21:14ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202018-11-011812408510.3390/s18124085s18124085Laser Displacement Sensors for Wind Tunnel Model Position MeasurementsMatthew Kuester0Nanyaporn Intaratep1Aurélien Borgoltz2Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace & Ocean Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USAKevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace & Ocean Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USAKevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace & Ocean Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USAWind tunnel measurements of two-dimensional wing sections, or airfoils, are the building block of aerodynamic predictions for many aerodynamic applications. In these experiments, the forces and pitching moment on the airfoil are measured as a function of the orientation of the airfoil relative to the incoming airflow. Small changes in this angle (called the angle of attack, or <inline-formula> <math display="inline"> <semantics> <mi>α</mi> </semantics> </math> </inline-formula>) can create significant changes in the forces and moments, so accurately measuring the angle of attack is critical in these experiments. This work describes the implementation of laser displacement sensors in a wind tunnel; the sensors measured the distance between the wind tunnel walls and the airfoil, which was then used to calculate the model position. The uncertainty in the measured laser distances, based on the sensor resolution and temperature drift, is comparable to the uncertainty in traditional linear encoder measurements. Distances from multiple sensors showed small, but statistically significant, amounts of model deflection and rotation that would otherwise not have been detected, allowing for an improved angle of attack measurement.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/18/12/4085laser displacement sensorswind tunnel testingCMOS line camera |
| spellingShingle | Matthew Kuester Nanyaporn Intaratep Aurélien Borgoltz Laser Displacement Sensors for Wind Tunnel Model Position Measurements Sensors laser displacement sensors wind tunnel testing CMOS line camera |
| title | Laser Displacement Sensors for Wind Tunnel Model Position Measurements |
| title_full | Laser Displacement Sensors for Wind Tunnel Model Position Measurements |
| title_fullStr | Laser Displacement Sensors for Wind Tunnel Model Position Measurements |
| title_full_unstemmed | Laser Displacement Sensors for Wind Tunnel Model Position Measurements |
| title_short | Laser Displacement Sensors for Wind Tunnel Model Position Measurements |
| title_sort | laser displacement sensors for wind tunnel model position measurements |
| topic | laser displacement sensors wind tunnel testing CMOS line camera |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/18/12/4085 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT matthewkuester laserdisplacementsensorsforwindtunnelmodelpositionmeasurements AT nanyapornintaratep laserdisplacementsensorsforwindtunnelmodelpositionmeasurements AT aurelienborgoltz laserdisplacementsensorsforwindtunnelmodelpositionmeasurements |