Research and Development of Pressure-Sensitive Paint Technology in JAXA

Abstract

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Aviation Technology Directorate (formerly the National Aerospace Laboratory) began basic research of pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) in the 1990s, at the dawn of PSP technology, and has accumulated outcome comparable to those in Europe and the United States. These technologies have been applied to global pressure measurements in practical wind tunnel tests for development of aircraft and spacecraft, and have contributed greatly to the validation of aerodynamic design and numerical simulation (CFD) results. JAXA's PSP technology is also used in academic research fields to clarify fluid phenomena and develop fluid control devices. This paper briefly describes the development of PSP for practical wind tunnel tests of JAXA Aviation Technology Directorate and how the research and development targets have evolved. In addition, examples of recent applications in two areas (aeroacoustic measurement and in-flight measurement) that are expected to improve by applying state-of-the-art PSP technology are presented.