Quality Pressure Measurements for Determining Inlet Distortion
AIR6465
This document addresses many of the issues and challenges related to obtaining high quality measurements at the designated Aerodynamic Interface Plane (AIP) necessary to characterize the flow field. The intent is to consolidate information needed to understand the requirements, and techniques for obtaining quality measurements, and provide lessons learned from previous test programs. This document applies to Ground (wind tunnel and engine test) and Flight testing for inlet recovery and distortion for air vehicles.
Rationale: This SAE Aerospace Information Report is intended to provide comprehensive reference and background information pertaining to the issues and challenges of obtaining quality inlet data to determine engine and inlet compatibility (e.g. SAE ARP 1420). This report addresses the need to consolidate the diverse number of approaches currently used to acquire inlet/engine compatibility test data. Additionally, this need is magnified by the increasing complexity of inlet configurations and the rapid increases in data acquisition technology that can lead to disparity in test results. The available information provides a resource to establish requirements and techniques such that the future data acquired is of a quality and consistency needed for applicability and compatibility to existing projects/programs, benefitting from lessons learned and best practices. Advancements in data acquisition could influence the distortion characterization relative to historical databases if processing and analysis techniques are not consistent.
