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Combined Environment Validation of Hypersonic Structures
Last modified: 2013-04-19
Abstract
This presentation will review the capabilities of the AFRL Structures Test Facility and describe some recent research into thermal, mechanical, and acoustic loads testing of structures for hypersonic vehicles. The United States Air Force’s continuing interest in air vehicles that fly ever higher and faster leads to the need for improved validation methods and facilities for evaluating the effects of high temperatures on structural response. Since the early 1990s, AFRL has been developing combined environment test capabilities to validate the performance of structural concepts for a wide variety of high-speed vehicles. Large scale thermal, mechanical, thermoacoustic, and thermal-mechanical capabilities have been developed and will be described. Some of the pitfalls, success stories, and opportunities will also be discussed. Of special interest are the difficulties measuring structural response in harsh environments and the methods employed to obtain good data.
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