High-speed imaging methods demonstrate new diagnostic capabilities
In January, researchers at Texas A&M University developed a suite of state-of-the-art laboratory testing and advanced in-situ optical diagnostic tools for analyzing near-space weather encounters of projectiles traveling at hypersonic speeds. When objects travel at hypersonic speeds through the air, atmospheric weather effects including rain, snow, ice and suspended particles can cause severe damage to surfaces and material systems and influence boundary layers, changing the overall flight path. Solid and liquid particle interactions on materials systems at hypersonic speeds are poorly understood and also difficult to predict by complex computational models. The Texas A&M activities simulated real-world phenomena by firing hypervelocity projectiles through particle fields, as well as impacting simultaneously launched fine particles on selected material targets… read more