A Water Tunnel Test Section for Advanced Hydrodynamic Measurements

Project: Research project

Project Details

Description

Publicly ReleasableProject Summary/AbstractPM: Dr. Joan Cleveland, [ONR Code 03R]Directorate: Office of Naval ResearchABSTRACT/PROJECT SUMMARYThe following proposal #A Water Tunnel Test Section for Advanced Hydrodynamic Measurements# is submitted for consideration under the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). Water tunnel test facilities are the keystone of controlledexperimental measurements of structures in a flow field, and are used to characterize the hydrodynamic properties of submerged bodies as well as validate numerical models. The test section is a critical portion of the water tunnel as it houses the structure undertest and a variety of instrumentation. The proposed water tunnel test section will significantly increase Penn State#s hydrodynamicmeasurement capabilities which support the research and educational goals of the faculty, staff, and students within Penn State#s Applied Research Laboratory (ARL), the College of Engineering, and The Graduate Program in Acoustics.Penn State ARL is one of five DoD designated U.S. Navy University Affiliate Research Centers and supports essential research and engineering for National interests that is free from conflict of interest or competition with industry. Fluid dynamics research is a core technical concentration of ARL and is performed within the Fluid Dynamics and Acoustics Office (FDAO). As such, the FDAO maintains and operates four different water tunnels to measure the hydrodynamic properties of submerged bodies in flow fields. The 12# water tunnel is one of the most widely used water tunnels at Penn State, and serves as a test facility for numerous Naval sponsors, DoD programs, as well as fundamental research. The current rectangular test section used in the 12# tunnel was designed in the 1950s to meet measurement capabilities of that time period. Since then, several advancements have been made in instrumentation technology including high-speed videography andparticle image velocimetry; however, the current 12' tunnel cannot easily accommodate these modern measurement technologies. If this DURIP is successful, a new 12' test section will be designed and fabricated that will have better optical access as well as acceptother modern instrumentation. Greater optical access will enable volumetric optical flow measurements, using ARL#s proven Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry (tomoPIV) capability. This capability will allow for detailed assessment of turbulent boundary layers, as well as other Navy-relevant flows. Moreover, the combination of greatly improved optical access of the new section and tomoPIV enable necessary improvements to methods to estimate pressure from measured velocity fields. Characterization of the pressure field is important for all Navy-relevant flows, not least in turbulent boundary layers. The proposed test section will provide a platform to transition optical estimation of pressure from basic research to a robust tool for appliedresearch, more directly related to Navy-driven applications. While this capability has seen much development at academic institutions, the proposed test section will provide an especially effective implementation at a Navy UARC.The proposed new test section will incorporate a number of vibration control techniques to mitigate facility vibrations and enable low-noise precision measurements. The intent of this DURIP is to make the 12' tunnel a world-class, state-of-the-art facility that supports the hydrodynamic measurement needs of the Navy and Naval sponsors. Moreover, the faculty, staff, and students of the Penn State University#s College of Engineering, the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL), the Graduate Program in Acoustics, and the Center for Acoustics and Vibration (CAV) will all benefit from the proposed new tunnel test section.

StatusActive
Effective start/end date1/1/23 → …

Funding

  • U.S. Navy: $428,104.00

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