CEAC-2020-11-November

“Purdue’s acquisition of this HYPULSE shock tunnel is such an
investment, and it will pay dividends in future capabilities.”
Shock tunnels like HYPULSE start with a reservoir of air at
high pressure and high temperature. A shock wave is used
to shoot the air through a nozzle at high speeds, reaching
temperatures as much as 8,000 degrees Kelvin. It allows tests
ranging from a thousandth of a second to the longest, a
hundredth of a second.
The high-speed tests recreate high-speed flight scenarios such
as space craft re-entry or missile flight through the atmosphere
as well as replicating unique engine conditions for
extremely high-speed propulsion.
School of Aeronautics and Astronautics faculty are tasked
with planning aerodynamics and propulsion testing programs
that will use the extreme test conditions that HYPULSE can
create. Joseph Jewell, an assistant professor, will focus on
aerodynamics testing programs, and Carson Slabaugh, also
an assistant professor, will work with propulsion projects.
Purdue University is adding a Hypersonic Pulse (HYPULSE) shock tunnel
to its expanding array of facilities to research aspects of hypersonic flight.
The tunnel was donated by Northrop Grumman Corp. (Photo: Northrop
Grumman)
“Very few experimental facilities can replicate these conditions,”
Slabaugh said. “In the university environment, we can
be very agile, working on different projects with government
and with industry. We’re researchers, keen to understand the
fundamental flow physics at relevant flight conditions.”
“There’s a lot of potential here to have a high impact on
technology that is developed from this understanding,” he
said.
Jewell said this expands Purdue’s hypersonics capabilities to
everything short of actual flight tests.
“Purdue already has built a strong reputation in hypersonics,”
he said. “With HYPULSE, we’ll have access to higher
Mach numbers and higher temperatures than we have previously
been able to work with at Purdue. This will open up a
whole new area of aerodynamic research for us.”
Hypersonic defense abilities are considered “game-changing”
technologies. With systems that can travel at speeds of Mach
5 or faster and are highly maneuverable, hypersonics are
potentially very effective against heavily defended areas.
Prior to Purdue, the HYPULSE shock tunnel has seen its share
of history, being used by NASA for the space shuttle heat
shield and the U.S. Air Force for design of its X-43 scram jet
design, which set several air-speed records.
With 40 researchers and long-held collaborations with the
National Defense Industrial Association, Purdue is establishing
itself as a hypersonics hub that benefits the country in
both research and development. In July 2019, Purdue hosted
the inaugural NDIA Hypersonics Capabilities Conference,
which brought military, government, congressional, industry
and policy leaders to further advance U.S. hypersonic systems.
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Volume 85 · Number 11 | 21