LUMINESCENT THERMOMETRY FOR AERODYNAMIC MEASUREMENTS

A luminescent temperature sensitive paint containing the molecule rhod amine B base in a silicone polymer paint has been developed that utili zes video imaging detection to produce temperature maps of an entire s urface from luminescence intensity measurements. The luminescent therm ometry system has been calibrated in the laboratory to have an intensi ty loss of 2.30% per-degrees-C, in the range of 10 to 46-degrees-C, wi th a root mean square prediction error (RMSPE) of 0.26-degrees-C. To e valuate the technique, transient temperature field measurements have b een made on a copper plate with a heater at one end. In spite of a los s in sensitivity of the paint due to aging effects that reduced sensit ivity to 1.39% intensity loss per -degrees-C, the calculated RMSPE was 0.25-degrees-C and the time series of temperature profiles predicted from luminescence agree with those predicted by a numerical solution t o the heat flow equation. Data was also collected from the surface of an airfoil in a wind tunnel experiment. In spite of systematic tempera ture differences between the thermocouples used for calibration and th e paint, RMSPE's of less than. 1-degrees-C were obtained.