IMPLEMENTATION OF A SUPERSONIC WIND TUNNEL FOR AN INSTRUCTIONAL
UNDERGRADUATE AERODYNAMICS LABORATORY
Benjamin M. Arthur  James C. McDaniel (Advisor)  University of Virginia
Abstract
The primary objective of this project has been to calibrate and instrument a supersonic
wind tunnel for a new instructional undergraduate aerodynamics laboratory that will complement
the advanced fluid mechanics course in the University of Virginia’s Department of Mechanical
and Aerospace Engineering. Instrumentation includes an automated pressure scanning system
and a shadowgraph imaging system for visualizing shock and expansion waves. Thus, the newly
outfitted wind tunnel can be used to study characteristics of supersonic flow, giving students a
chance to reinforce what they are learning in the classroom and demonstrating tools they can
apply later in their careers. With its emphasis on education, the project aligns with the goals of
the Supersonics Project under the Fundamental Aeronautics Program of NASA’s Aeronautics
Research Mission Directorate, which places an emphasis on experimentation to understand the
underlying phenomena of supersonic flow.