The US National Transonic Facility, NTFThe construction of the National Transonic Facility was completed in September 1982 and the start-up and checkout of tunnel systems were performed over the next two years. In August 1984, the Operational Readiness Review (ORR) was conducted and the facility was declared operational for final checkout of cryogenic instrumentation and control systems, and for the aerodynamic calibration and testing to commence. Also, the model access system for the cryogenic mode of operation would be placed into operation along with tunnel testing. Since the ORR, a host of operating problems resulting from the cryogenic environment were identified and solved. These range from making mechanical and electrical systems functional to eliminating temperature induced model vibration to coping with the outgassing of moisture from the thermal insulation. Additionally, a series of aerodynamic tests have demonstrated data quality and provided research data on several configurations. Some of the more significant efforts are reviewed since the ORR and the NTF status concerning hardware, instrumentation and process controls systems, operating constraints imposed by the cryogenic environment, and data quality are summarized.
Document ID
19900006626
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Bruce, Walter E., Jr. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Gloss, Blair B. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
November 1, 1989
Publication Information
Publication: AGARD, Special Course on Advances in Cryogenic Wind Tunnel Technology