Abstract
In recent experiments we demonstrated the feasibility of using the oxygen dependence of luminescent molecules for surface pressure measurement in aerodynamic testing. This technique is based on the observation that for many luminescent molecules the light emitted increases as the oxygen partial pressure, and thus the air pressure, the molecules see decreases. In practice the surface to be observed is coated with an oxygen permeable polymer containing a luminescent molecule and illuminated with ultraviolet radiation. The airflow induced surface pressure field is seen as a luminescence intensity distribution which can be measured using quantitative video techniques. Computer processing converts the video data into a map of the surface pressure field. The experiments consisted of evaluating a trial luminescent coating in measuring the static surface pressure field over a two-dimensional NACA-0012 section model airfoil for Mach numbers ranging from 0.3 and 0.66. Comparison of the luminescent coating derived pressures were made to those obtained from conventional pressure taps. The method along with the experiment and its results will be described.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Gouterman, M. 1978: Optical spectra and electronic structure of porphyrins and related rings. In: The Porphyrins, Physical Chemistry, Part A (edited by D. Dolphin). New York: Academic Press
Kavandi, J. L. 1990: Luminescence imaging for aerodynamic pressure measurements, Doctoral Thesis, Chemistry Department, University of Washington. Summarized in Kavandi et al., November 1990: Luminescent barometry in wind tunnels, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 61, 3340–3347
Khalil, G. E.; Green, E.; Gouterman, M., March 1989: Method and composition for measuring oxygen concentration. U.S. Patent No. 4810655
Merzkirch, W. 1987: Flow visualization. 2nd edn. Orlando: Academic Press
Parker, C. A. 1968: Photoluminescence of solutions. Amsterdam: Elsevier
Peterson, J. I.; Fitzgerald, R. V., May 1980: New technique of surface flow visualization based on oxygen quenching of fluorescence. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 51, 670–671
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McLachlan, B.G., Kavandi, J.L., Callis, J.B. et al. Surface pressure field mapping using luminescent coatings. Experiments in Fluids 14, 33–41 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196985
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196985