Thermal Environment Tests of a High-Speed Aircraft Cockpit

Summary

This paper describes rig tests made to evaluate the effectiveness of the cockpit insulation and cooling system of a high-speed aircraft.

The tests showed the dependence of cockpit internal temperature distribution and heat pick-up on the cooling air mass flow and inlet temperature. Analysis of the test data showed that there was considerable heat leakage into the cockpit; the heat leakage increased with cooling air flow and constituted two-thirds of the heat entering the cockpit when the air flow was moderately high (20 lb/min). Some of the leakage heat entered the cockpit through equipment mountings but it was evident that other leakage paths existed. One more obvious heat leakage path, at the canopy, is illustrated.

The tests also showed that the internal heat transfer coefficient increased with air flow, reaching a value of 2·5 C.H.U./hr ft²°C when the flow was 20 lb/min.