Experimental investigation on static/dynamic characteristics of a fast-response pressure sensitive paint

An optical-based technique using Pressure-Sensitive Paint (PSP) is a promising method to measure the distribution of surface pressure on an aerodynamic model. The static and dynamic characteristics of a fast-response PSP that is developed in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) are analyzed and tested to serve as the basis for experiments on unsteady surface measurement using a fast-response PSP. Two calibration systems used for this study are set up to investigate the temperature dependency, response time, and resolution. A data processing method, used for dynamic data, is analyzed and selected carefully to determine the optimum signal. Results show that the fast-response PSP can be used normally at temperatures from 25 °C to 80 °C. The effect of temperature on the accuracy of the measurement must be considered when temperatures are beyond the temperature range of 30–40 °C. The dynamic calibration device with a solenoid valve can achieve a pressure jump within a millisecond order. The resolution is determined by the signal-to-noise ratio of the photo-multiplier tube. Results of the measurement show that the response time of the PSP decreases with a large pressure variation, and the response time is below 0.016 s when the pressure variation is under 40 kPa.