Future airframe configurations aimed at addressing the range of particular challenges facing the aerospace industry are likely to present a variety of engine/airframe integration issues. The success of many of these configurations will depend on achieving the required aerodynamic performance from the combined aircraft and powerplant vehicle. To address these research needs, a generic intake test facility and advanced non-intrusive instrumentation system has been established with the capability of studying a variety of intake and propulsion integration aerodynamic aspects.
This facility is primarily aimed at the investigation of fundamental aspects of unsteady intake flow distortion and the use of advanced non-intrusive measurement systems. The facility has been successfully used with time-resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to measure the three-component velocity fields and to unlock the characteristics of the complex unsteady flow distortion.

The work has been reported in several journal and conference articles including the following:

  • Migliorini, M. , Zachos, P., MacManus, D, (2021) “A novel method for evaluating intake unsteady flow distortion”, Journal of Propulsion and Power. Volume 38, Issue 1, pp. 135-147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2514/1.B38127
  • McLelland, G., MacManus, D. G., Zachos, P. K., Gil-Prieto, D. and Migliorini, M. (2020) ‘Influence of Upstream Total Pressure Profiles on S-Duct Intake Flow Distortion’, Journal of Propulsion and Power, 36(3), pp. 346–356. doi: 10.2514/1.B37554.
  • Gil-Prieto, D., Zachos, P. K., MacManus, D. G. and McLelland, G. (2019) ‘Unsteady characteristics of S-duct intake flow distortion’, Aerospace Science and Technology, 84(January), pp. 938–952. doi: 10.1016/j.ast.2018.10.020.
  • Tanguy, G., MacManus, D. G., Garnier, E. and Martin, P. G. (2018) ‘Characteristics of unsteady total pressure distortion for a complex aero-engine intake duct’, Aerospace Science and Technology, 78(July), pp. 297–311. doi: 10.1016/j.ast.2018.04.031
  • Gil-Prieto, D., MacManus, D. G., Zachos, P. K., Tanguy, G. and Menzies, K. R. (2017) ‘Convoluted Intake Distortion Measurements Using Stereo Particle Image Velocimetry’, AIAA Journal, 55(6), pp. 1878–1892. doi: 10.2514/1.J055467
  • Tanguy, G., MacManus, D. G., Zachos, P., Gil-Prieto, D. and Garnier, E. (2017) ‘Passive Flow Control Study in an S-Duct Using Stereo Particle Image Velocimetry’, AIAA Journal, 55(6), pp. 1862–1877. doi: 10.2514/1.J055354.