The Enterprise

NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) represents one of the largest collections of aeronautical research testing capabilities in the world. This center addresses a broad range of ground test requirements for both atmospheric and planetary flight vehicles with several major aerodynamic, aerothermodynamic, acoustic, hypersonic air breathing propulsion, and structural testing facilities. The focus of the experimental facilities within the Wind Tunnel Enterprise (WTE) is to provide low cost research capabilities for developing an understanding of flow phenomena. The goal is to gain insight into the mechanisms that lead to the observed behavior so that better theoretical predictions and improved models can be developed. As the computational tools become increasingly reliable in predicting system performance, the role of wind tunnels is shifting from testing entire configurations to detailed physics-based testing. This type of testing provides the extremely high fidelity data required for physical model development and code validation.

The WTE facilities are being positioned to allow short duration, highly focused, low cost tests scheduled just weeks in advance. Such tests are affordable to a far larger ground testing community, including mid-level programs with modest research budgets within the traditional Commercial and DOD ground testing community, General Aviation customers, Universities, as well as Non-traditional customers (automotive, submersible, recreational, etc). Fundamental research testing, exploration of unique flow control or new vehicle concepts, high fidelity production testing, as well as the development of advanced measurement capability can all be best accommodated in this agile testing environment. The WTE is pursuing an aggressive program to deploy agile scheduling and rapid changeover methodologies to accommodate short duration tests by using advanced methodologies to develop and execute results-based experiments. Using the Modern Design of Experiment (MDoE) technologies fostered by the WTE, experiments can be formally designed to meet well-defined test objectives with the minimum test resources necessary. Investments in rapid model changeover technology are allowing shorter duration and lower cost tests. New flow measurement capabilities, especially when used in innovative combinations, yield new insights into flow field behavior, ultimately resulting in better modeling and prediction of flow fields. Since customer accuracy requirements have become significantly more demanding over the last decade, the WTE has also established a world-class data quality assurance program. Many WTE facilities now provide credible and defensible data accuracy statements based on a combination of statistical process control with periodic check-standard tests of stable artifacts, well-defined processes, and formally designed experiments to meet these challenges. These developments at LaRC are providing a new paradigm for wind tunnel testing.

Jerome T. Kegelman
Head of NASA’s Wind Tunnel Enterprise at the Langley Research Center