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Industry applications of advanced flow diagnostics experience in the BAE Systems ground effects rig

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2016

P. Curtis
P. Curtis*
Affiliation:
BAE Systems, Farnborough, UK
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Abstract

This paper reviews some of the work performed on the ground effects rig at BAE Systems in Warton, the now unique facility for modelling dynamic vertical landings and measuring hot gas ingestion. The paper discusses the flow diagnostic tools which have been used in recent times, up to the complexity of 3D PIV, and uses examples from the F-35 JSF programme to illustrate these. The paper hopefully demonstrates the difficulties of using these tools, as well as the benefits they can bring to a development programme.

The ground effects rig is a facility designed to measure temperature rise in aircraft intakes during vertical manoeuvres close to the ground. It is a complex facility that comes as close as possible to accurately modelling the flowfields around an aircraft moving both vertically and horizontally near the ground, with the ability to model dynamic pitch and roll at the same time.

Standard instrumentation for the models consists of rapid response thermocouples mounted in a rake at the engine face. 45 thermocouples of 0·05mm diameter with a time constant of about 10ms are used.

Although, with its standard instrumentation, the rig can measure how much hot gas gets to the engine face, it doesn’t show how it got there, or where it came from, which is the knowledge required to improve the design. Hence there is a need for flow diagnostics.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 109 , Issue 1093 , March 2005 , pp. 119 - 127
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2005 

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