engineering innovation

ISSI

 
 
 

About the Pressure Sensitive Paint Team



Pressure-sensitive paint, unlike pressure taps and transducers, provides virtually limitless spatial resolution and can be easily applied and removed from most test surfaces. Moreover, the optical sampling provides a means for low-cost, non-intrusive, full-field surface pressure and temperature measurements very early in the design cycle to enhance extensively the understanding of the aerodynamics underlying force and moment data.


The accurate determination of spatially continuous pressure and temperature distributions on aerodynamic test surfaces is critical for understanding complex-flow mechanisms and for comparison with computational-fluid-dynamics models. Conventional pressure measurements are based on pressure taps and electronically scanned transducers. Although these approaches provide accurate pressure information, several drawbacks exist.

Pressure taps provide information only at discrete points, and their integration on a test surface is time-consuming, labor intensive, and expensive. In addition, the test-surface aerodynamics and structural dynamics can be compromised by these devices because they may introduce system bias. Finally, pressure taps are prone to failure, particularly for turbomachinery or extreme-temperature applications.

Pressure-sensitive paint technology has emerged as an alternative in determining static and transient surface-pressure fields for aerodynamic applications.  In this approach, pressure sensitivity is based on molecular-oxygen (O2) quenching of luminescent molecules dispersed in a film that is coated onto a test surface. Under the appropriate excitation, the entrapped probe species luminesces with an intensity that is inversely proportional to the O2 partial pressure.  Because O2 is a constant fraction of air, this method can be used to determine the local surface pressure.



The pressure-sensitive paint team at ISSI has developed pressure-sensitive paints (PSP) and temperature-sensitive paints (TSP) for high-temperature (> 150°C) and -pressure (2 atm) turbomachinery environments. PSP measurements have been successfully demonstrated by ISSI personnel for a state-of-the-art transonic compressor rotor, a spin-stabilized missile, and a scramjet fuel injector.


Current efforts focus on extending the applicability of PSP technology to extreme temperature environments associated with turbine- and cryogenic-wind tunnel facilities, significantly improving pressure sensitivity above 1 atm, and developing innovative measurement strategies to simplify data acquisition and post-processing



 


For further information about pressure-sensitive paint technology and how our advanced pressure- and temperature-sensitive paints and measurement systems can facilitate your aerodynamic testing efforts, please contact us.

 

The Pressure Sensitive Paint Team welcomes your comments and look forward to hearing from you.

Subject Area


Scientist


Chemistry


Chemistry, Applications


Optical Measurements


Image Processing & Software


LED Lamps


Electrical Design

Personnel


Jim Crafton , Ph.D.


E. Grant Jones, Ph.D.


Larry Goss, Ph.D.


Sergey Fonov, Ph.D.


Vladimir Fonov, Ph.D.


Ben Sarka


Darryl Trump



General inquiries :

Position


Team Leader


Senior Chemist


ISSI President


Scientist, Senior Engineer


Scientist, Senior Engineer


Senior Engineer


Applications Specialist