AEDC Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9 is a
hypersonic wind tunnel
A hypersonic wind tunnel is designed to generate a hypersonic flow field in the working section, thus simulating the typical flow features of this flow regime - including compression shocks and pronounced boundary layer effects, entropy layer an ...
owned by the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
and operated b
National Aerospace Solutions The facility can generate high Mach numbers and high Reynolds for hypersonic ground testing and the validation of computational simulations for the Air Force and Department of Defense.
History
After World War II several critical facilities and scientists were brought to America to continue research into supersonic missiles. In July 1945, the custody of the Kochel wind tunnel facilities was awarded to the Navy to be installed at the
Naval Ordnance Laboratory
The Naval Ordnance Laboratory (NOL) was a facility in the White Oak area of Montgomery County, Maryland. It is now used as the headquarters of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Origins
The U.S. Navy Mine Unit, later the Mine Laboratory at t ...
at
White Oak, Maryland
White Oak is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 16,347 in 2020.
White Oak was known for its Naval Ordnance Laboratory, which was closed in 1994. The headquar ...
. In 1967 congress granted approval for the construction of Tunnel 9. The facility became operational in 1976 and has since been providing aerodynamic simulation in critical altitude regimes associated with strategic offensive missile systems, advanced defensive interceptor systems, and hypersonic vehicle technologies.
Capabilities
Tunnel 9 has 2.9 to 5 ft diameter test section. The facility can generate air flow up to Mach 14 with Reynolds numbers between 4 - 7.6 million per ft. Pressure and temperature can be controlled to further simulate flight altitudes from sea level to 173,000 ft.
See also
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Wind tunnel
Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...
*
Shock tube
: ''For the pyrotechnic initiator, see Shock tube detonator''
The shock tube is an instrument used to replicate and direct blast waves at a sensor or a model in order to simulate actual explosions and their effects, usually on a smaller scale. ...
*
Ludwieg tube
References
External links
Arnold Engineering Development Center(official)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9
Buildings and structures in Montgomery County, Maryland
Wind tunnels
Equipment of the United States Air Force