ALDiR Introduction Page

Introduction to ALDiR

The T3 Shock Tube People

The T3 shock-tunnel facility.

The Aerophysics and Laser Diagnostics Research (ALDiR) Laboratory consists of a number of shock-tube and shock-tunnel facilities engaged in research in the areas of fundamental and applied aerodynamics, the development of optical-diagnostic systems for supersonic flows, and computational fluid dynamic studies. Most of the research projects are centred around the use of laser techniques to study shock-layer (associated with aerospace flight) and supersonic-combustion flows (associated with aerospace propulsion). The techniques used include Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF), Degenerate Four Wave Mixing (DFWM), Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS), as well as standard flow visualisation methods such as Tomographic Interferometry, line-of-sight Interferometry and Schlieren. Surface heat transfer and pressure measurements on generic aerospace vehicle designs are also conducted.

The T3 Shock Tunnel Schematic Schematic of the T3 shock tunnel

The laboratory has three free-piston shock tunnel facilities, which can generate high energy hypervelocity flows suitable for studying real gas effects, such as vibrational relaxation, dissociation/recombination reactions and ionisation. The types of flows investigated range from the high temperature shock layer similar to that on a reentry vehicle to combustion flows inside a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet). Some of these projects involve collaboration with other institutions, such as: the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the Australian Defence Force Academy; Deutsche Aerospace in Germany; British Aerospace (Aust); the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Queensland; and the High Temperature Gasdynamics Laboratory (HTGL) at Stanford University.

Photo of Frank Houwing and Student

Laser diagnostics

The basic overall aim of the laser diagnostics used in the research laboratory is to measure rotational & vibrational temperatures, density, and species concentrations in the types of reacting flows described above. Currently, the laboratory enjoys a significant advantage over other research groups and international aerospace companies interested in the same types of problems, because it has both the laser diagnostics capabilities as well as the high energy flow simulation capabilities. A third advantage is the powerful computing capabilities at its disposal - through the use of the ANU's supercomputer, on which Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes model the nonequilibrium flow over the nose of the Hermes space vehicle.

Descriptions of individual projects.
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