Wind tunnel instrumentation

Our sector-leading capability in automated systems for wind-tunnel laboratory measurements, developed over more than twenty years in managing a national laboratory, is now commercially available.

Our integrated multi-hole pressure probe systems offer a robust, repeatable and reliable solution for medium-bandwidth three-component velocity measurements in the time domain.

• Integrated pressure transducers for maximum bandwidth
• Minimally intrusive probes- tip diameters down to 1.8 mm available
• High-functionality sensor package, including differential pressure transducers, local absolute pressure, temperature and humidity sensors, and inertial measurement unit (for alignment and vibration warning)
• Integrated static pressure taps available on all probe models, for direct local static differential pressure measurements
• Minimal data line-out requirement; probes can be chained together as an RS-485 network, streaming data to a PC via USB

Our 64-channel pressure scanner system offers a completely flexible, modular architecture to maximize functionality and minimize down-time between experimental runs. This system is available either with a protective case or as an OEM unit.

• Up to 64 channels accommodated per unit; transducers are mounted in self-configuring, hot-swappable cards of 8
• Sensing ranges down to 160 Pa differential (accurate to 0.25%) available, and kits of sensor cards are available for mixed-range operation
• Remote fluid temperature probe included, for density estimates
• Local temperature, absolute pressure and humidity sensors included, for density corrections and condensation warning
• Inertial measurement unit included, for orientation and vibration warning
• USB driven and powered- no external power supply required

Our low-cost, medium-bandwidth constant-temperature and constant-current anemometry systems offer highly competitive performance for a fraction of the cost of high-fidelity systems, and are ideal for lower bandwidth turbulence measurements or large-array applications.

• Ultrahigh-precision, high-bandwidth constant current anemometers for cold-wire probes
• High-precision, medium-bandwidth (12 kHz) hot-wire anemometry systems for larger-scale turbulence measurements and rake applications
• Micro-footprint systems for bridge-in-sting applications, for high-EMI environments or remote measurements
• Ruggedized self-contained, low-bandwidth complete metal-film CTA systems for high-fidelity, low-velocity measurements

Surface-mounted pressure sensing dies offer a versatile, low-cost and minimally-intrusive solution for high-bandwidth (~2 kHz) surface pressure measurements with high spatial resolution.

• Sensing dies can be mounted with an isotropic pitch of 4 mm, and have a measurement area of approximately 2.5 mm square
• Total system thickness can be as low as 2 mm, so geometric interferences with experimental models is minimal
• No sub-surface access required- system can be entirely “stuck on the surface”
• Flexible substrates are possible, for mounting on contoured surfaces

Our low-cost, high-functionality measurement instrumentation systems were specifically designed for inter-compatibility, using our own robust RS-485 network communications protocols to ensure reliable transmission and data transfer even in the noisiest environments.

• Distributed monitoring networks and very-high channel count systems
• Networked data acquisition and radio-telemetry systems
• Bespoke sensing, acquisition and data management systems
• Automated experimental calibration systems
• Probe traversing systems and actuators
• Full metadata capture and archiving capability
• Laboratory and experimental systems control; active control systems for experimental hardware
• Custom instrumentation design services