New Transonic Tests of HB-2 Hypersonic Standard Models in the VTI T-38 Trisonic Wind Tunnel

Abstract

Recent experience has shown that test results of standard wind tunnel models under off-design conditions could be a useful aid in preparations of some nonstandard wind tunnel tests. However, reference data for such conditions do not exist, or they are scarce. Therefore, off-design transonic wind tunnel tests of the HB-2 standard models were executed in the VTI T-38 wind tunnel as a supplement to the supersonic tests of the same models under design-intent conditions, for which reference results were available. New tests were conducted so that test envelopes partially overlapped with those from available supersonic reference data. Good agreements of results with references were confirmed in the overlapped ranges, so it was assumed that, by implication, the obtained results were also valid in the transonic range of conditions, with an observation that the effects of sting diameter were much more pronounced in the transonic range than in the supersonic one. HB-2 models were tested in two sizes, using two different wind tunnel balances for each model, so that the results can be used with more confidence.

Keywords

• wind tunnel
• standard model
• off-design conditions
• transonics
• supersonics
• hypersonics