Wind-tunnel scales for measuring aerodynamic forces on the hypersonic configuration ELAC I

The article explains the relevant parameters, describes the working principle of the balance and discusses an example of the results.

In the Special Collaborative Research Center "Fundamentals of Design of Aerospace Planes" at Aachen University of Technology supported by the German Research Association (DFG) the requirements for the construction of reusable space aircraft were investigated.

The development of this type of aircraft demands knowledge of the lift and drag, quantities which can be determined on scale models in a wind tunnel using a wind-tunnel balance based on strain-gage technology. In the tunnel used here, velocities of between Mach 0.3 and 3.6 can be simulated.