Development of a fast-response multi-hole probe for unsteady and turbulent flowfields

The development of a fast-response aerodynamic probe calibration routine has been completed. This work includes the development of a theoretical probe and application and adaptation of potential flow theory to a fast-response 5-hole probe. Based on the theoretical probe, a procedure to determine the flow angles in flowfields with significant inertial effects was devised. It was further shown that this definition can be used to accurately predict the angles in flowfields with very high frequency oscillations (large inertial effects) over a wide range of flow incidence angles. The velocity magnitude was solved from the governing equation. This equation is a first-order, non-linear, ordinary differential equation, and a predictor-corrector method was formulated to calculate the velocity based on the measured port pressures.; An experimental procedure to determine the steady and unsteady pressure coefficients was presented. The steady pressure coefficient is readily calculated from steady calibration data, but the determination of the unsteady coefficient requires a selective averaging procedure based on the rate-of-change parameter. A spherical probe with a fast-response pressure transducer was designed. The spherical probe was oscillated in water flow, and the coefficient determination procedure was experimentally verified.; A facility was designed for the unsteady calibration of fast-response probes in air. This facility generates a repeatable velocity oscillation that is sinusoidal in nature with mean velocity up to Mach 0.5 and frequency up to 1.5 kHz. A fast-response 5-hole probe was developed that can resolve frequency content up to 20 kHz, and was used to verify the unsteady calibration routine. Several test cases were presented and excellent prediction capabilities were demonstrated.; Acoustic pressure attenuation in the tubing systems for miniature multi-hole probes is discussed, and theoretical models are presented that determine the transfer function of such systems. Analysis of important design parameters and an experimental procedure to determine the transfer function were presented. Furthermore, a spectral pressure reconstruction routine was developed and several test cases were corrected with this routine.; The initial development of a fast-response MEMS-based probe is also presented. This development includes conceptual design, sensor development, and testing as well as the initial probe construction.