Industry applications of advanced flow diagnostics experience in the BAE Systems ground effects rig

We review some of the work performed on the ground effects rig at BAE Systems in Warton, the now unique facility for modelling dynamic vertical landings and measuring hot gas ingestion. We discuss the flow diagnostic tools which have been used in recent times, up to the complexity of 3D PIV, and uses examples from the F-35 JSF programme to illustrate these. We hopefully demonstrate the difficulties of using these tools, as well as the benefits they can bring to a development programme. The ground effects rig is a facility designed to measure temperature rise in aircraft intakes during vertical manoeuvres close to the ground. It is a complex facility that comes as close as possible to accurately modelling the flowfields around an aircraft moving both vertically and horizontally near the ground, with the ability to model dynamic pitch and roll at the same time. Standard instrumentation for the models consists of rapid response thermocouples mounted in a rake at the engine face. 45 thermocouples of 0.05mm diameter with a time constant of about 10ms are used