Experimental results from the sounding vehicle Sonda III test campaign in the Pilot Transonic Wind Tunnel

• Main Authors: João Batista P. Falcão Filho, Maria Luísa Collucci C. Reis, Algacyr Morgenstern Jr.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia Aeroespacial 2011-09-01
• Series: Journal of Aerospace Technology and Management
• Subjects: Aerodynamics; Experimental results; Sonda III; Transonic Wind Tunnel
• Online Access: http://www.jatm.com.br/papers/vol3_n3/JATMv3n3_p311-324_Experimental_results_from_the_sounding_vehicle_sonda_III_test_campaign_in_the_pilot_transonic_wind_tunnel.pdf

The Pilot Transonic Wind Tunnel of the Institute of Aeronautics and Space has conducted the first test campaign of a sounding vehicle, Sonda III. The campaign is part of a project whose activities and final results are presented in this paper. During the test campaign, many activities were performed to increase the productivity and accuracy of the tunnel. These activities included calibration procedures, corrective and preventive trials, development of auxiliary devices, and theoretical and experimental analysis. Two tasks are described in details: the development and tests performed with the static pressure probe and the automatic re-entry flap actuation system. Several tests were carried out with the Sonda III at Mach numbers ranging from 0.3 to 1.0, at stagnation pressures of 70, 94, and 110 kPa. Experimental results include global aerodynamic coefficients (using internal balance) and pressure distribution over essential regions of the test article (using pressure sensitive paint technique).