Geometric optimization of the supersonic stagnation-pressure probe

An investigation was conducted at Mach numbers of 1.41, 1.83, and 2.20 to determine the effects of parametric variations both in the height of the pitot-tube center line from the probe surface, by varying the pitot-tube diameter, and in the radius of surface curvature on the pressure recovery of a probe designed to measure free-stream stagnation pressure. The probe consists of a pitot tube mounted on the surface of a curved cylinder of circular cross section; the pitot tube senses the pressure of the stream tube which has been slowed to subsonic or near sonic velocity by isentropic compression along the curved surface. Pressure recovery - greater than or equal to 99.8 percent of free-stream stagnation pressure - was obtained for a wide range of both angle of attack and yaw for probes satisfying the optimum design criteria determined in this investigation.