How can hypersonic vehicles be tested in a laboratory?

Hypersonic vehicles are aircraft or spacecraft that can fly faster than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5. They have the potential to revolutionize military, commercial, and scientific applications, but they also pose significant challenges for design, development, and testing. How can engineers test hypersonic vehicles in a laboratory, before launching them into the real world? In this article, you will learn about some of the methods and facilities that are used to simulate and evaluate hypersonic flight conditions.

1 Wind tunnels

One of the most common ways to test hypersonic vehicles is to use wind tunnels, which are large tubes or chambers that blow air at high speeds over a model or prototype of the vehicle. Wind tunnels can measure the aerodynamic forces, pressures, temperatures, and shocks that the vehicle would experience in flight. However, wind tunnels have some limitations for hypersonic testing. They are expensive to operate, require high power and cooling systems, and may not accurately reproduce the chemical and thermal effects of the atmosphere at high altitudes.

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Eskanesiari (Inesh)

Avionics Engineer at Indonesian Aerospace | Machine Learning Enthusiast
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Wind tunnels indeed play a crucial role in testing hypersonic vehicles, offering valuable insights into aerodynamic behaviors under high-speed conditions. But, there's a problem. They can't perfectly copy the way the air is high up in the sky, especially the chemicals and thermal up there. To solve this, we could use integrating advanced computational simulations with wind tunnel tests could provide a more comprehensive understanding of hypersonic flight characteristics. This way, we could get a better idea of how these hypersonic vehicles behave, and it could help make them better and safer.

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Josh Hansen

Engineer 2 at ATA Engineering | B.S. in Aerospace Engineering at UT Austin
(edited)
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It’s also important to note that many times at very high speeds, the Mach number of the flow cannot be effectively obtained for a 1:1 scale model of the vehicle. Thus, instead of matching the certain flight speeds obtained, the enthalpy of the flow is matched by operating the wind tunnel at higher temperatures.

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2 Shock tubes

Another way to test hypersonic vehicles is to use shock tubes, which are devices that create a sudden pressure wave or shock wave in a closed tube. The shock wave travels along the tube and hits a test section, where a model or prototype of the vehicle is placed. Shock tubes can generate very high temperatures and velocities, similar to those encountered by hypersonic vehicles during re-entry or acceleration. However, shock tubes also have some drawbacks for hypersonic testing. They have a short duration of test time, usually less than a millisecond, and may not capture the complex interactions between the vehicle and the flow.

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Eskanesiari (Inesh)

Avionics Engineer at Indonesian Aerospace | Machine Learning Enthusiast
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Shock tubes are really useful for testing hypersonic vehicles because they can create conditions like high speeds and temperatures. But, one big problem is that these tests are super short, lasting less than a millisecond. It would be great to figure out how to make these tests last longer or use other methods along with shock tubes. This way, we can get a better understanding of how hypersonic speeds affect vehicles over time. Also, if we could use advanced sensors and diagnostic tools to measure and analyze what's happening during these short tests, it might help make up for the short testing time.

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3 Plasma tunnels

A third way to test hypersonic vehicles is to use plasma tunnels, which are similar to wind tunnels but use electrically charged gas or plasma instead of air. Plasma tunnels can create high temperatures and densities, comparable to those found in the upper atmosphere or in space. Plasma tunnels can also simulate the ionization and radiation effects that hypersonic vehicles may face. However, plasma tunnels are challenging to build and operate, require sophisticated diagnostics and instrumentation, and may have issues with plasma stability and uniformity.

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4 Numerical simulations

A fourth way to test hypersonic vehicles is to use numerical simulations, which are computer models that solve the equations of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics for a given scenario. Numerical simulations can provide detailed information about the flow field, heat transfer, and structural response of hypersonic vehicles. They can also explore a wide range of parameters and conditions, without the physical and practical constraints of experimental methods. However, numerical simulations are not perfect for hypersonic testing. They rely on assumptions and approximations, need validation and verification with experimental data, and demand high computational resources and time.

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Eskanesiari (Inesh)

Avionics Engineer at Indonesian Aerospace | Machine Learning Enthusiast
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Numerical simulations are really handy for hypersonic vehicle testing. They let us virtually test different scenarios and get valuable data like airflow and heat transfer without actual physical tests. It's like having a detailed flight test on your computer! But they aren't perfect – they need good assumptions, have to be checked against real-world data, and can take up a lot of time and computing power.

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5 Hybrid methods

A fifth way to test hypersonic vehicles is to use hybrid methods, which combine two or more of the above methods to achieve a better understanding and performance of the vehicle. For example, some researchers use wind tunnels with plasma generators to create more realistic flow conditions. Others use shock tubes with numerical simulations to extend the test time and capture the transient effects. Hybrid methods can offer more flexibility and accuracy for hypersonic testing, but they also require more coordination and integration among different disciplines and facilities.

Testing hypersonic vehicles is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one to advance the field of aerospace engineering. By using different methods and facilities, engineers can simulate and evaluate the complex and extreme conditions that hypersonic vehicles face, and improve their design and operation. Hypersonic testing is a fascinating and challenging area of research, with many opportunities and applications for the future.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Rudi Seibt

Yes, we can. Handeln statt reden. Kommunikation für gemeinsames Handeln. Einfach MACHEN, EINFACH machen.
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Hier steht Effizienz im Vordergrund und nicht Suffizienz. Ist Hyperschall-Mobilität eine sinnvolle weil für die Gemeinschaft nützliche Entwicklung? Ich antworte mit Nein. Daher sollen hier keinerlei Gemeinschaftsgelder ausgegeben werden.

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Mohnish Thosani

Founder & CEO at UNEXRO | Aerospace Engineer | Alumni, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, FL, USA
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Expansion Tubes: These facilities use expansion tubes to create hypersonic conditions by rapidly expanding high-pressure gas. Expansion tubes can simulate re-entry conditions and assess the aerodynamic behavior of hypersonic vehicles. Light Gas Guns: Employ light gas guns to propel projectiles at hypersonic speeds. This method can simulate impact conditions and evaluate the structural integrity of vehicle components, especially for scenarios like micrometeoroid or debris collisions.

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How can hypersonic vehicles be tested in a laboratory?

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1 Wind tunnels

2 Shock tubes

3 Plasma tunnels

4 Numerical simulations

5 Hybrid methods

6 Here’s what else to consider

Aerospace Engineering

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How can hypersonic vehicles be tested in a laboratory?

1

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1 Wind tunnels

2 Shock tubes

3 Plasma tunnels

4 Numerical simulations

5 Hybrid methods

6 Here’s what else to consider

Aerospace Engineering

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