Gust test rig

A new gust test rig was designed and built to analyse forced responses. It enables the generation of a defined disturbance (gust field) that will impact a second model located further downstream. A slender 2-D aerofoil model is used as the actual gust generator surface. The model is equipped with 60 unsteady pressure sensors to provide precise descriptions of the source of excitation. The setup was created by combining the existing pitch test rig in its 2-D position within the adaptive measuring section of the DNW-TWG, and a new setup located downstream at the 3-D position of the adaptive test section. This new configuration enables one-sided clamping of a 3-D half-model to the wall in order to adjust both the angle of attack and the vertical position. Hence, the model can be positioned within – and then removed from – the unsteady wake field.