Aerospace Vehicle Ground TestingAerospace Vehicle Ground TestingSandia National LaboratoriesSandia National LaboratoriesTrisonic Wind Tunnel (TWT)Trisonic Wind Tunnel (TWT)

Technical Characteristics• Blowdown to atmosphere• M∞ = 0.5 - 1.3, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0• Re = 3 - 20 × 106 /ft• Run times: 20 - 120 seconds at 20 - 30

minute intervals• 12" × 12" test section• ~1" diameter model size

Transonic Test Section• Three configurations

• 4 porous walls• 2 porous walls, 2 solid walls• 4 solid walls

• Test section enclosed in pressurized plenum

Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company,for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration

under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Aerospace Vehicle Ground TestingAerospace Vehicle Ground TestingSandia National LaboratoriesSandia National Laboratories

Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT)Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT)

Technical Characteristics• Blowdown to vacuum• M∞ = 5, 8, 14• Re = 0.2 - 10 x 106 /ft• Run times: ~45 sec at 45 minute

intervals• Gases:

• air at Mach 5• N2 at Mach 8 and 14

• 18" diameter test section• 4" - 5" maximum diameter model size• Stagnation temperature to 2500°R

Aerospace Vehicle Ground TestingAerospace Vehicle Ground TestingSandia National LaboratoriesSandia National LaboratoriesHigh Altitude Chamber (HAC)High Altitude Chamber (HAC)

Technical Characteristics• 27 foot diameter vacuum

sphere• Simulate altitudes up to

230,000 ft• Test articles up to 1 ton weight

and 60 inch diameter• Testing centrifuge to 600 rpm• 15-20 minutes to reach

maximum altitude

Aerospace Vehicle Ground TestingAerospace Vehicle Ground TestingSandia National LaboratoriesSandia National Laboratories

InstrumentationInstrumentation

Traditional Aerodynamic• Internal strain-gage balances

• Surface pressure transducers

• Pitot probes and rakes

• Schlieren photography

• Model spin testing

• Heat transfer gagesLaser-Based Instrumentation

• Laser Doppler Velocimetry

• Particle Image Velocimetry

• Laser-Induced Fluorescence

• Filtered Rayleigh Scattering

z/dj

y/dj

-5 0 50

5

10

15

0.8 0.84 0.88 0.92 0.96 10.2U

u/U