Aerospace and Defense

Aerospace & Defense

For years high-speed imaging has been used in various applications by engineers in the aerospace and defense industries. Photron high-speed cameras facilitate the detailed analysis of projectile flights, missile launches, combustion processes, engine performance, fuselage durability, material strength, flow/particle movement and more. For years high-speed imaging has provided engineers with detailed analysis of such events. There are several companies that manufacture high-speed cameras, so how do you decide which company to buy from and which model of camera to buy? There are several factors to consider, including a cameras frame rate, light sensitivity, minimum exposure time, and of course the cameras body.

Aerospace testing environments can be challenging for high-speed camera suppliers. To guarantee the successful implementation of high-speed cameras within such environments it is important to select an experienced supplier who can provide a range of highly-reliable cameras and exceptional customer support.

APPLICATIONS & TECHNIQUES

DIGITAL IMAGE CORRELATION

Digital Image Correlation has been used in both the aerospace and defense industries for years. DIC is a 2D or 3D imaging technique used to measure deformation, vibration, and strain in materials.

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PARTICLE IMAGE VELOCIMETRY

PIV plays an important role in understanding the fundamental physics of complex flows. PIV tracks the velocity of microscopic tracer particles in gases or fluids by recording their velocity and providing flow visualization.

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COMBUSTION

Combustion studies in the aerospace and defense industries are essential when researching explosions of various types and sizes.

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SCHLIEREN

Schlieren imaging in aerospace and defense applications provide important visual data on how invisible elements, such as air and gas, move and react in various environments.

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Development of Background-Oriented Schlieren for NASA Langley Research Center Ground Test Facilities

This paper provides an overview of recent wind tunnel tests performed at the NASA Langley Research Center where the Background-Oriented Schlieren (BOS) technique was used to provide information pertaining to flow-field density disturbances. The facilities in which the BOS technique was applied included the National Transonic (NTF), Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT), 31-inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel, 15-inch Mach 6 High-Temperature Air Tunnel, Rotor Test Cell at the 14 by 22 Subsonic Tunnel, and a 13-inch Low-Speed Tunnel.

High-Speed Image Analysis and Filtered Imaging of Nested Hall Thruster Oscillations

Hall Effect Thrusters (HET) are known to exhibit many high-speed oscillations that are indicative of thruster performance. Azimuthal ionization oscillations, called spokes, have been investigated extensively but the mechanisms governing their behavior are still poorly understood. Most experimentation has been done with single-channel Hall thrusters but evidence exists that a nested-channel Hall thruster experiences partial oscillation coupling between channels. This paper details the investigation of oscillations in various configurations of the X3, a 100-kW class three-channel nested Hall thruster. A technique of using optical filters to extract plasma properties from high-speed video is examined. Separately, coupling between channels was studied by imaging multiple thruster discharge channels at once. A Photron FASTCAM SA5 recording at 75,000 fps and equipped with thin dielectric filters for strong near-infrared Xe I emission lines was used to capture high-speed video of the discharge channel plasma.

Dynamic Fracture in Carbon-fibre Composites: Effect of Steel and Ice Projectiles

In this study the resultant ballistic dynamic response observed in a 2×2 twill weave T300 carbon fibre/epoxy composite flat-plate specimen is examined, using a combination of non-invasive analysis techniques. The study investigates deformation, damage and fracture following the impacts with both solid (steel) and fragmenting (ice) projectiles travelling with velocities of 70-90 m/s and 300-500 m/s, respectively. Digital image correlation was employed to obtain displacement data for the rear surfaces of the specimens in each experiment, and used to assess the effect of impact velocity and projectile material on the specimen’s response.

The Analysis Of The Vibratory Movement Of The Gun Barrel And Its Influence On The Firing Accuracy

It is known that the forces and shocks that occur during the firing process of a firearm induce vibrations to the barrel of the weapon and to the weapon as a whole. There are flexural, longitudinal, radial and torsional vibrations. The most important ones are considered to be the flexural or bending vibrations, especially the ones recorded in the muzzle section. This paper presents a method of recording the flexural vibrations of the barrel in the muzzle section of a 5,56mm automatic rifle and the influence of muzzle devices, using modern equipment (high speed cameras) and dedicated software.