Abstract
A technique has been developed to measure surface heat transfer on windtunnel models in hypersonic flow based on the color response of encapsulated thermochromic liquid crystals. This method supplies data of a superior spatial resolution at experimental uncertainties comparable to traditional methods. In contrast to previous liquid crystal measuring techniques a calibration of the color-temperature response is performed during the actual experiment, thus avoiding inaccuracies originating from differences in the experimental setup. The method is automated to allow the efficient collection of experimental data. Results are shown for experiments performed in a Mach 5 blow-down windtunnel and compared to' thermocouple measurements.
