Wind-tunnel Tests of Seven Static-pressure Probes at Transonic Speeds

Book excerpt: Wind-tunnel tests have been conducted to determine the errors of 3 seven static-pressure probes mounted very close to the nose of a body of revolution simulating a missile forebody. The tests were conducted at Mach numbers from 0.80 to 1.08 and at angles of attack from -1.7° to 8.4°. The test Reynolds number per foot varied from 3.35 x 106 to 4.05 x 106. For three 4-vane, gimbaled probes, the static-pressure errors remained constant throughout the test angle-of-attack range for all Mach numbers except 1.02. For two single-vane, self-rotating probes having two orifices at ±37.5° from the plane of symmetry on the lower surface of the probe body, the static-pressure error varied as much as 1.5 percent of free-stream static pressure through the test angle-of-attack range for all Mach numbers. For two fixed, cone-cylinder probes of short length and large diameter, the static-pressure error varied over the test angle-of-attack range at constant Mach numbers as much as 8 to 10 percent of free-stream static pressure.