Fluorescence visualization of hypersonic flow establishment over a blunt fin

Fluorescence imaging is used to investigate the separated flow upstream of a blunt fin in a hypersonic freestream with a transitional boundary layer. Images are presented to show the how development before, during, and after the test time of the free-piston shock tunnel used to generate the how Thes e images indicate that the test time in this facility is long enough to ach ieve a steady how over the blunt fin. Thermocouple measurements are include d to compare the surface heat flux upstream of the fin with that for flow a long a flat plate with the same freestream conditions. The heat flux result s are consistent with separation in a transitional boundary layer and show that the separated dow is oscillatory.