Inauguration of the Arc-Heated Facility L3K.

Kurzfassung

After a construction time of four and a half years the arc-heated facility L3K became operative. During this period many technical problems had to be solved. In autumn 1995 the commissioning phase ended and the last, but very delicate hardware components were handed over to DLR. The official inauguration on November 28, 1995, was joined by representatives from industry, universities and international and national space organizations. We took this opportunity to present the results of many years' efforts to express our thanks to friends and partners for their valuable support and to win them for further fruitful cooperations. In the course of the inauguration ceremony we had the chance not only to demonstrate the operation of L3K but also to review contracts and research programs performed during the last years in our 1.4 MW-Huels type arc-heated facility L2K. Our feedback regarding all presentations and demonstrations was very positive and full of further interest. Therefore, it was decided to collect the transparencies of the different presentations in a short paper and send it to our friends and partners expressing our thanks for their interest in our work. After commissioning has been terminated work starts now to calibrate the facility to optimize tunnel operation and to provide L3K with a sophisticated measurement technique. We estimate that tests for the valuation of TPS materials may start during summer 1996. Subsequently research and development work will follow. In both areas we strive for a continuation and an extension of the cooperations with partners working in the field of material tests in high enthalpy flows.