Characterization of a Phosphor-Based Temperature-Sensitive Paint for High-Temperature Applications

Abstract

Research into the fundamental flow physics of hypersonic regimes, such as shock–shock interactions and vortex dynamics, has increased in recent years. Understanding these flow phenomena is crucial for the development of hypersonic vehicles. However, hypersonic flow conditions pose unique challenges for experimental measurements, for example when extracting surface temperature data with high spatial and temporal resolution from the investigated vehicle. Conventional point-wise methods, such as thermocouples, have been successfully integrated into hypersonic test articles. Nevertheless, it is of great interest to obtain image-based temperature data with both high spatial and temporal resolution on such vehicles, due to their increasingly complex geometries prohibiting point-wise sensor integration into these test articles. Temperature-sensitive paints (TSP) have been employed to measure surface temperatures, and for high-temperature conditions (> 100 °C), phosphor-based TSP can be used.