Publications

Fluid-Structure Interactions using Controlled Disturbances on a Slender Cone in Hypersonic Flow

Casper, Katya M.; Beresh, Steven J.; Henfling, John F.; Spillers, Russell W.; Hunter, Patrick H.

Fluid-structure interactions were studied on a 7 * half-angle cone in the Sandia Hypersonic Wind Tunnel at Mach 8 over a range of freestream Reynolds numbers b etween 3 . 3 and 14 . 5 x 10 6 / m . A thin panel with tunable structural natural frequencies was integrated into the cone and exposed to naturally developing boundary layers. An elevated panel re sponse was measured during boundary- layer transition at frequencies corresponding to the turbu lent burst rate, and lower vibrations were measured under a turbulent boundary layer. Controlled pert urbations from an electrical discharge were then introduced into the boundary layer at varying freq uencies corresponding to the struc- tural natural frequencies of the panel. The perturbations w ere not strong enough to drive a panel response exceeding that due to natural transition. Instead at high repetition rates, the perturber modified the turbulent burst rate and intermittency on the co ne and therefore changed the condi- tions for when an elevated transitional panel vibration res ponse occurred. Studies were also conducted in the Boeing/AFOSR Mach 6 Quiet Tunnel at Purdue University. Under quiet flow, natural transition does not occur, and the c ontrolled perturbations are the only disturbance source. A clear panel response to turbulent spo ts created by the controlled pertur- bations was observed at varying frequencies of spot generat ion. The quiet-flow measurements confirm the clear relationship between turbulent spot passa ge and panel vibration.