NASA researchers at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, used unsteady pressure-sensitive paint to study airflow around the Benchmark Supercritical Wing in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel.
NASA says the coating glowed pink-purple under ultraviolet light, and high-speed cameras recorded changes in brightness tied to air pressure on the model wing. The benchmark wing is a standard wind-tunnel model and does not represent a particular aircraft.
The agency describes the test as the technique’s first use on a large-scale, freely moving model in a low-oxygen environment. NASA says the work is meant to support future tests of flexible aircraft models that bend and adapt during flight.
