Task 241- High Temperatures, Optical Sapphire Pressure Sensors for Hypersonic Vehicles

The study of hypersonic boundary layers is critical to the efficient design of hypersonic vehicles for rapid global and space access. The harsh environment makes conventional instrumentation unsuitable for time-accurate, continuous, direct measurements. The development of a high temperature sensor for direct measurement of pressure is vital to the understanding of shock-wave/boundary layer interactions which directly influence critical vehicle characteristics such as lift, drag, and propulsion efficiency. Prior and on-going solid mechanics investigations will be leveraged to extend this research to high temperature sensor characterization. Currently, the proposed pressure sensor has been fabricated using the proposed manufacturing methods and calibrated under static and dynamic pressure loads at room temperature. During the next phase of this research, we propose to test the sensor in a high temperature environment in the hot jet facility at FSU. This facility is capable of generating supersonic heated jets up to 2000°F. The research and development will leverage on-going activities in predictions of light-matter material evolution with respect to mechanical performance. It will also provide us with key information to identify potential challenges in integrating such sensors on a field deployable hypersonic vehicle.