Application of particle image velocimetry and the background-oriented schlieren technique in the high-enthalpy shock tunnel Göttingen.

The applicability of the particle image velocimetry (PIV) and the background-oriented schlieren (BOS) techniques in the high-enthalpy shock tunnel Göttingen of the German Aerospace Center, DLR is demonstrated. As a part of this feasibility study two different experiments are performed. The velocity field past a wedge in a Mach 6 flow at a total specific enthalpy of 1.5 MJ/kg is determined by means of PIV and the results are compared to numerical predictions. The BOS technique is applied to investigate the density field in the shock layer of a sphere at 12 and 22 MJ/kg total specific enthalpies. Using a ray tracer method, the BOS results are compared to the data obtained by corresponding numerical computations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]