Mach 6 Hypersonic Wind Tunnel

The newest facility at the AARL is the Mach 6 Blow Down Hypersonic wind tunnel, currently available for testing at Mach 6 with a six-inch diameter free jet, with stagnation temperature of up to 400^oF and stagnation pressure to 2000 psi possible.  The test cabin is large enough to contain a model out of the jet until stable flow conditions are established.  Models may be up to four inches in width and may be positioned to an attitude of approximately 15^o.  The test chamber incorporates static and total measurements of the pressure. The current M=6 facility is evaluating nanotech coatings to reduce the heating rate to hypersonic vehicles.