Fluids & Structural Mechanics > RF > Instrumentation/Tunnel Operation (ITO)

Operating effective fluid dynamics facilities requires such advanced instrumentation and data acquisition techniques as the measurement of three-dimensional flow fields using both laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV), Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), and pressure probes; the measurement of steady and unsteady forces; and the visualization of the flows. Some of the precision instrumentation is manufactured and calibrated in-house, including the miniature five-hole pressure probes used to measure the total and static pressures and all three components of velocity.

A menu-driven computerized system provides the capability to acquire the low-frequency output signals of transducers and strain gauge elements used for the measurement of time-mean pressures and forces. Acoustic data is acquired via multichannel dynamic signal analyzers directly and/or indirectly via tape recorders. The reduction and display of large volumes of data is facilitated through data acquisition and reduction software such as HP-VEE, MATLAB, and AXUM .