48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting Including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition AIAA 2010-760

4 - 7 January 2010, Orlando, Florida

48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting

A 50 Year Chronology of the Boeing PolySonic Wind Tunnel:

An Era of Aerodynamic Invention and Innovation

Michael E. Benne 1 , Robert C. Hilker, Jr. 2 , Scott W. McCall 3 , and Mathew C. Rueger 4
The Boeing Company, St. Louis, Missouri, 63166

Among the seminal events of the 1950’s McDonnell Aircraft era was the establishment of
a number of major new laboratory facilities in St. Louis. One of these, particularly devoted
to a wide spectrum of tests and experiments at transonic, supersonic and low hypersonic
velocities, was named accordingly the “Poly-Sonic Wind Tunnel”. The Boeing PolySonic
Wind Tunnel (PSWT) has been in operation for over fifty years; first conceived and
designed in 1956 with the first test in the new facility conducted in November 1959.
Continuous operation began in April, 1960. The PSWT is an intermittent, pressure-to-
atmosphere blow-down tunnel with two four by four-foot test sections, one for supersonic,
the other for transonic and subsonic tests. This facility has made significant contributions to
the development of a stunning array of flight vehicles, and has a long history of innovation,
improvement, and involvement in aerodynamic concept.

I. Introduction

T HE first “blow” in Boeing PolySonic Wind Tunnel (PSWT) occurred in October, 1959. PolySonic performance
requirements and flow quality specifications for the brand new wind tunnel were specified in early 1956, and
was designed by the St.
Louis based engineering
firm of Sverdrup and
Parcel, now Jacobs
Engineering. Basic
construction of the
$5,324,903 PSWT started
in May 1958 by the
Nooter Construction
Company and was
completed in April, 1959.
Early tests showed that
the performance did not
meet the design
specifications and
extensive modifications
were made in the
following two years to
correct the deficiencies.
Figure 1 An early test in the PSWT from a photo dated 17 June 1959 The changes were
successful and the subsequent calibrations verified the satisfactory performance. Shakedown tests and calibration of
the wind tunnel continued until the following October. The new four-foot by four-foot test section of the tunnel
would accommodate a 5% scale model of the F4H Phantom II with a test cycle for a typical 60-second blow-down
of 30 minutes, which was required to recharge the storage tanks. Since 1959, this wind tunnel has contributed to the
development of the Gemini Spacecraft, the F-4 Phantom II, the F-15 Eagle, and the F/A-18 Hornet aircraft, while
1
Associate Technical Fellow, Wind Tunnel Department, M/C S102-2272, Senior Member, AIAA.
2
Senior Manager, Wind Tunnel Department, M/C S102-2272, Member, AIAA.
3
Manager, Wind Tunnel Department, M/C S102-2272, Member, AIAA.
4
Associate Technical Fellow, Wind Tunnel Department, M/C S102-2272, Associate Technical Fellow, AIAA.
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 48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting

undergoing an era of continuous facility improvement. Since 1960 the facility has averaged 2300 hours of
occupancy annually. This paper will describe the facility and its capability, visit some of its landmark test programs,
and showcase the facility improvements that provided for re-invention which so greatly contributed to its success as
an aerodynamic test center.

II. Facility Description

The PSWT is a blow-down wind tunnel which utilizes a compressed air storage system, and includes primary and
back-up 600-psi air compressors, an air storage tank farm, control valves, a flexible plate nozzle, a transonic test
section, a supersonic test section, a circular arc support system, retractable diffuser, and an atmospheric exhaust.
Mach numbers ranging from 0.45 through 5.57, with an accompanying Reynolds number range from 2 to 50 million,
makes the PSWT one of the most versatile blow-down facilities in operation. The PSWT provides two (2) four by
four-foot test sections; one for transonic conditions and the other for supersonic conditions. The nine foot long
transonic test section covers the
range in Mach number from 0.45
to 1.60. The supersonic test
section provides Mach numbers
ranging from 1.46 through 5.57.
Sea level conditions can be
maintained throughout the entire
transonic range, and altitudes
above 20,000 feet are possible at
higher transonic Mach numbers.
High Reynolds number studies
conducted in the transonic test
section are restricted by a 30-psia
static pressure limit of the test
section plenum, or by the structural
Figure 2 A 1959 aerial view of the PSWT integrity of the test article. Sea
level conditions are attainable in
the supersonic test section up to Mach 2.5 with altitudes over 80,000 feet at Mach 5.57. Reynolds numbers above
20 x 106 per foot can be obtained over most of the Mach range.

A discrete tunnel operation (referred to as a “blow”) is defined as the process of regulating air flow through the
tunnel and past a test article (or other associated items within the flow) while collecting electronic and/or visual
information of the effects. The PSWT varies depending on the Mach number, flow conditions, number of data
sweeps obtained during the blow, the model
attitude range, and the length of time required for
additional operations, such as point-pause data
acquisition or the use of special optical
techniques. The highest run efficiency generally
occurs when all available storage tank air is used
while collecting multiple data sweeps at the
fastest acceptable data rate. Some testing
applications yield 1 or 2 data sweeps per blow,
while others produce 5 to 8 data sweeps per
blow. The PSWT provides a wide range of
support hardware for test article suspension,
which can be tailored to meet virtually any
testing need. A variety of straight or bent stings
and struts, angled adapters, and mounting plates
are available for use and can be attached to one
of several circular arc sector adapters, or directly
to the tunnel walls (where applicable). The
PSWT now offers two types of circular arc sector, roll pod adapter options for customer selection. The legacy “In-
Line Roll Pod” adapter positions the pitch angle of the test article within a 40-degree sector in the vertical plane, +/-

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20 degrees from horizontal. The total roll range of this adapter is approximately 200-degrees. The newest PSWT
sector adapter is the offset, 360-Degree roll pod which incorporates a 10-degree pitch offset and a 360-degree
internal roll mechanism. Test articles can therefore be positioned from -10 to +30 degrees relative to the tunnel flow
in the vertical pitch plane, while also obtaining a full 360 degrees of roll freedom. Both roll pods accommodate
pitch sweeps at constant roll angle or roll sweeps at constant pitch angle, or a combination of each for positioning
the Model at constant or variable yaw angles. The “High Angle of Attack” (HAOA) support system is also available
for extreme angles of attack and can be used to position the model at or near the tunnel centerline. This system
includes two adjustable support arms that are manually set to yield a wide variety of HAOA ranges. A 360-degree
hydraulic roll motor may be attached to the upstream end of the forward support arm and accepts a standard PSWT
sting taper. The total pitch travel of the HAOA system is limited to 40-degrees however this system provides larger
pre-bend offsets which allow testing up to 90-degrees angle of attack. This system is load limited so model size is a
factor that must be considered. Since the roll motor is aligned with the centerline axis of the model, rocket and/or
missile testing can easily be accommodated. If required, high-pressure air can also be passed through the center of a
specially-equipped sting and into the test article.

A data sweep (“run”) is generally defined as the collection of engineering data while varying only one test parameter
at a time and holding all remaining parameters constant. An example of this would be a variation in pitch attitude at
a constant geometric roll angle. The scan rate of the acquisition system is typically set to record data at a speed of
100 samples per second, and can be adjusted depending on the needs of the customer. Data can be acquired in a
continuous stream and presented to the customer at user-specific increments by means of a moving-average,
decimation, or interpolation techniques.

The PSWT has the capability of performing multiple sweeps within a single tunnel blow. Occupancy estimates are
based on operating in this mode whenever possible. Run time estimates are based on the collection of data in a
continuous sweep mode, using a standard pitch rate of 4o/sec and a roll rate of 30o/sec, where applicable.

The PSWT provides shadowgraph video imaging and/or still photos in the Supersonic test section of the PSWT
Shadowgraph imaging is not available in the Transonic test section, because of the constraints of the porous walls,
however, other optically-based measurement and visualization techniques available include Pressure Sensitive Paint
(PSP), high speed video, colored oil, and UV oil flow.

III. Five Decades of Innovation, Invention, Improvements

During the 50 year history of the PolySonic Wind Tunnel, many improvements and changes occurred.

Early modifications to the wind tunnel during the first decade of operation were made to improve the overall
operational efficiency and expand the capabilities of the wind tunnel. These included changes to the transonic and
supersonic ejector system to allow for simultaneous operation of both ejectors, allowing the wind tunnel to be
operated at a greatly reduced dynamic pressure through the transonic Mach number range which resulted in reducing
loads on the test article. The addition of two air storage tanks increased the storage volume from 40,000 cubic feet
to 53,000 cubic feet.

During the late 1960’s, the PSWT was used extensively to successfully develop the F-15, with a peak utilization
of over 5,000 wind tunnel occupancy hours in 1969. Wind tunnel work is infamous for its peaks and valleys and is
characterized with a generally small backlog, with tests scheduled much less than a year in advance. During the
valleys, progress can be made on facility and technique improvements. This approach is subject to starts and stops,
but staffing projections are much more stable as a result. However the philosophy makes the technical improvement
less of a priority than a customer with a wind tunnel test and the improvement delayed or postponed in exchange for
a paying ‘customer’.

Soon after the wind tunnel development program of the F-15 slowed, the PolySonic Wind Tunnel became
engaged in a continuing improvement program which intensified in the late 1970's, prior to the start of the F/A-18
program. An effort to improve the quality of the PSWT wind tunnel data aligned with a philosophy published by
then McDonnell-Douglas CEO, Sanford N. McDonnell. The ‘Five Keys to Self-Renewal’ were adopted which
involved simultaneous considerations in:

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1) Human Resource Management,

2) Strategic Management,
3) Participative Management,
4) Ethical Decision Making, and
5) Productivity or Quality Improvement.

Quality Circles were formed which provided a method of defining success criteria for the PSWT.

Qualitative success criteria were identified as:

 PSWT in-test repeatability
 PSWT test-to-test repeatability
 PSWT incremental results comparable to increments gathered from another wind tunnel
 PSWT aerodynamic coefficient levels comparable to those gathered from another wind tunnel.

The technique improvements addressed and focused progress in the areas of wall interference, model fabrication,
angle of attack repeatability and measurement, and Mach control. A novel idea for an on-board angle of attack
sensor was proposed. New devices were purchased to accurately measure wind tunnel total pressure along with an
enclosure to house the transducers in a stable thermal environment. Use of servo inclinometers to level models and
to calibrate the pitch angle became standard procedure. Installation of three major tunnel control systems began in
1980 and was completed in 1983, including Mach number, model attitude, and total pressure control. A method of
applying a repeatable transition strip on the wind tunnel models was also employed.

A test plan was developed which involved choosing a proper validation model, developing and then conducting a
series of tests to measure the response of the standard model.

An existing wind tunnel model was selected based on the simple, repeatable configurations it provided and the
model's availability for future calibration and validation use. The model featured a trapezoidal wing with a 20°
leading edge sweep and a sharp leading edge. Inlets were faired and fuselage fairings were added to provide tunnel
cross-sectional blockage representative of a six percent scale F/A-18 model.

It was during this time period that the Aerodynamics and Propulsion Laboratories Department Chair wrote:

In the days of old when knights were bold

And wind tunnels were not invented,
They pursued the Grail to little avail,
With their walls they were quite contented.

In the latter days when precision pays

And wind tunnels lack perfection
The Holy Grail is the arduous trail
That leads to zero correction
By the Count of One Count
Polysonicus

By the beginning of the new millennia, the PSWT was in need of a major renovation. The renovation focused on
a number of key areas:

 Flexible Plate Nozzle System and Controls

 Data Acquisition System
 Data Processing
 Model Attitude Control System
 Wind Tunnel Total Pressure and Mach Controls
 Remodeling of the Wind Tunnel Control Room
 Painting and Cleaning of the Tunnel Shed
 Expansion of the Customer Room and User Work Area

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 Addition of a Schlieren System (2005)

 The addition of a debris trap in the exhaust muffler in 2006 to facilitate store separation tests
 Decommissioning of the original 7000 HP Cooper-Bessemer Air Plant and commissioning of the
11,000 HP Turbine Compressor (2004)

A. Flexible Plate Nozzle System and Controller

The design of the flexible nozzle plate support had some inadequacies which were discovered by examination of
the contoured surface of the nozzle using laser tracking in 1999. A system of hydraulic and mechanical jacks
deform, contour and position two long, narrow stainless steel plates which define the top and bottom of the
rectangular wind tunnel nozzle. Each of the plates is 48 inches wide, one inch thick and is 480 inches long. There
are 24 mechanical and hydraulic stations along the length of the nozzle used to position the plates to a pre-
determined mach contour. A pair of hydraulic jacks is located side by side upstream of the nozzle throat due to the
high pressure loads that would occur during wind tunnel operation. The design pressure upstream of the throat
could reach 400 psia. However, single jack stations were positioned downstream of the throat, along the stainless
steel nozzle plate center line.

Each station on the nozzle is comprised of

five major components: mechanical
positioning jack(s), hydraulic cylinder(s),
drive motor, gearbox, and a Selsyn position
indicator. A nozzle change sequence begins
by pressurizing the hydraulic cylinder to
force the nozzle plate away form the
mechanical jack and then positioning the
mechanical jack to the desired nozzle plate
position. The hydraulic cylinder is then
actuated to move the nozzle plate firmly
against the mechanical jack.

A slight waviness was found in the nozzle

plates during the laser tracker inspection.
The cause of the waviness was directly linked
Figure 3 PSWT Nozzle with the sidewalls removed to the jack stations located downstream of the
nozzle throat which had only one mechanical
jack. Friction caused by the seals on each side of the nozzle would allow some twisting of the plate as it was moved
into position. Stations upstream of the throat with a double row of mechanical jacks did not exhibit the tilting effect.
A decision was made to duplicate the double jack arrangement down the length of the nozzle to minimize or
eradicate the amount of twist in the nozzle. The enhancement of the nozzle included the replacement of all drive
motors, gearboxes, and position measurement hardware.

Figure 5 M=1.5 Nozzle waviness before nozzle Figure 4 M=1.5 Nozzle waviness after the nozzle
upgrade upgrade

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The original PSWT Nozzle Contour controller consisted of 1950’s vintage electronics. A bank of selenium
rectifiers created DC power to drive the 48 screw jacks that were set to define the nozzle contour. These jacks were
manually positioned to a set point defined for a given Mach number. Each screw jack consisted of a DC motor with
a synchronous motor position feedback. The operator jogged the set point transmitting motor into place one at a time
until all jacks were in position. The operator then applied hydraulic pressure to the nozzle plate pulling them firmly
onto the jack screws. This process was time consuming and prone to human error in reading and setting each of the
48 counters individually. Mach contours would be routinely changed almost hourly during a wind tunnel test.

Naturally, the new system was designed to automate this process. The system now uses a Wonderware software
interface that communicates with a distributed network of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC). It allows point
and click Mach contour selection from a table of calibrated values. A Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen interface
next to the nozzle allows remote operation of the nozzle for maintenance and troubleshooting. 24 small, networked
Siemens PLC’s control the 48 screw jacks. An executive PLC downloads the Mach contour set points to the
networked PLC’s simultaneously and gives them a trigger to move. When all stations are in place the PLC controls
the hydraulics to pull the nozzle plates back onto the jacks. The worst-case nozzle contour change takes ten minutes
and since the whole process is automated, it frees up the technical personnel for other required tasks.

B. Data Acquisition and Processing System

There have been three generations of data acquisition systems at the PSWT. The first system was a Consolidated
Electro-Dynamics Microsadic system which scanned 25 channels of input data in force mode and 50, 75, 100, or
125 channels in pressure mode. 25 pre-amplifiers were time-shared on an analog to digital converter using an
intervalometer. Increasing the number of channels in groups of 25 decreased the sampling rate substantially. Each
of the 25 wind tunnel parameters were sampled at a maximum of ten samples per second and recorded serially on a
seven track magnetic tape in binary coded decimal format from zero to 999 read-out-counts. Therefore, at best the
Microsadic would have been a 10 bit system; but nonetheless was a heavily used wind tunnel data acquisition
system for the timeframe 1959-1978.

In 1978, a Data General Nova “Datum” system was purchased and was nicknamed “VDAS” for “Versatile Data
Acquisition System”. It had one amplifier per channel, a multiplexer and a single 15 bit analog to digital converter.
It stored data on a 9 track magnetic tape. This system could acquire data from as many as 150 channels at 14 scans
per second. The Data General VDAS system and the predecessor Microsadic consumed approximately fifteen
percent of the available floor space in the PSWT control room.

The replacement and current data acquisition system is a Kinetic Systems VXI unit, nicknamed “KDAS” for
“Kinetic Data Acquisition System”. The current unit consumes less than 2 cubic feet of control room space. It is
co-located in a five rack cabinet with various control system computers, servo controllers, an Electronic Pressure
Scanning system and various recorders. It allows management and flexibility in configuring the unit for various
analog and digital signals at scan rates from 100 to 2000 hertz. A second VXI chassis can be configured for high
speed acquisition to 100 kilohertz per channel. This system is operated by a PC with Labview software for
acquiring and storing data.

Prior to the August 2000 renovations, test data was acquired and recorded to magnetic tape, and hand-carried to
a data processing center. Early data reduction efforts were accomplished off-site with a time-sharing system run by
the McDonnell Automation Company. The data processing work soon migrated to a room across from the wind
tunnel control room with FORTRAN software running on a Systems Engineering Laboratories (SEL) 8500. During
the upgrade to the VDAS system, the data processing center upgraded to a SEL 32/75 minicomputer. SEL was one
of the first 32-bit real time computer manufacturers. This system was the industry’s first true 32-bit super mini-
computer. Although it had a wire-wrapped backplane and magnetic core memory, it had a bus speed of 26.6
megabytes per second. In 1985, this system was replaced by a Digital Equipment VAX 8600, in 1995 by a Digital
Equipment Corporation Alpha Server, and finally, in 2000 by Dell desktop PC’s.

C. Tunnel Free Stream Total Pressure and Mach Control System

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During transonic operation, free-stream total pressure, Po, is measured in the stilling chamber, and a static
reference pressure, Pp, is located in the plenum of the transonic cart. For supersonic operation, Po is measured and
the free stream Mach number is determined by the nozzle contour. Total temperature from a stilling chamber pickup
is measured in all modes of operation.

The initial Po / Mach control progressed from a pneumatic analog computer thru several iterations to a program
coded in the C computer language. Many of the control parameters were hard coded and could not be easily
changed for a particular run case. Total pressure overshoots and Mach control were an occasionally troublesome
dilemma until a clean sheet program was written by dynamic control specialists. The resulting system made
significant improvement in the operation of the wind tunnel. The knowledge acquired from several decades of wind
tunnel operation was embedded in databases and software. The program architecture is subdivided into five major
components consisting of feedback conditioning, mach profiling, adaptive control modeling, database management
and a graphical user interface. The control devices encompass ejectors, north and south bypass doors, and the main
control valve. The user interface for the mach control system provides real time status information as well as a
parameter edit capability. The configuration parameters are specified through the edit dialogs and are also stored in
an Access database. Master databases contain Mach and dynamic pressure settings for all calibrated transonic and
supersonic applications. They also contain Proportional – Integral – Derivative (PID) control parameters, ejector
settings, Mach contour locations, wall angle, bypass and sub-flap settings and feed forward constants unique to each
tunnel setting.

D. Control Room

The control room housed many original items from 1959 including the control console and the nozzle control
rack. A photo from 1961 shows the control console and nozzle rack. Another photo from 2000 (Figure 19) just prior
to the shutdown shows the same control console and
nozzle control rack.

The design of the new control room blended

functionally with aesthetics to be a visually appealing work
environment. To improve installation of future test
hardware, every wire and cable entering the control room
from the tunnel shed area was removed from the control
room floor troughs. New cables were numbered and
labeled. The old data system, control console and nozzle
control rack were removed and scrapped.

The control console now houses up to eight flat panel computer monitors and switches used in the operation of
the tunnel, model attitude control system and data acquisition system.. The portion of the control room which
housed the original nozzle control rack was replaced by two 67 inch projection LCD screens. The screens are
capable of visually projecting information from the control console, test section and the test engineer’s desk located
in the center of the room. The efficient use of space allowed for several new engineering work stations including the
addition of the data engineer and data reduction PC in the control room.

E. Tunnel Shed

The tunnel shed including the tunnel was cleaned by pressure

washing, a thorough de-greasing and a fresh coat of paint in 2000.

F. Customer Room

The customer room from 1959-1994 was a room located directly

across from the control room and was very small, measuring
approximately ten feet by ten feet. In 1994 the customer room moved
to a larger area next to the original customer room and the size of the
customer increased by a factor of two. The customer room was
upgraded significantly during the PSWT rebuild process. As the data
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engineer now resided in the re-modeled control room, the original computer center was now vacant. The re-
modeled customer room expanded into the computer center and now features 3 desk stations with PC hook ups, a
conference area with LCD projector, a printer, lobby area with leather couch and chair, and a galley with sink,
refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker. The room also has two PC flat panel monitors which echo the large 67
inch displays from the control room.

G. Muffler

The PSWT exhaust muffler reduced noise and prevented debris from deflecting out of the stack. The
attenuation of the airborne tunnel noise, specified by the original McDonnell Aircraft Company acoustic
specification in the wind tunnel construction document, is attained by internal sound treatment The PSWT exhaust
muffler was composed of a steel formed baffle filled with long fiber mineral wool.

Concern was expressed as the wind tunnel facility is located in the vicinity of Lambert Airport, that there
appeared to be a rather remote possibility that the exhaust air jet could constitute a safety hazard for light airplanes
flying over the stack at low altitudes. Quoting from a letter of 5
May 1958, from the Civil Aeronautics Authority (now Federal
Aviation Administration or FAA) to the McDonnell Aircraft
Company “…the exhaust from the wind tunnel could cause
dangerous vertical gusts near the approach area for runway 24 at
Lambert Field.” The reduction of the vertical exhaust jet intensity
was, therefore, made a part of the design specifications. In
quantitative terms, a reduction of this maximum jet velocity to a
value of 15 fps at an altitude of 200 feet above ground was
specified.

In view of the two-fold functional requirement of the tunnel

stack component it was concluded that the most feasible solution
was to install diffusion vanes at the top of the vertical concrete
exhaust stack. At a conference held at McDonnell Aircraft
Corporation on 8 May 1958, gust velocity limitations were
discussed and serious doubts were raised on the adequacy of the
15 fps vertical jet velocity limitation. Subsequently, Sverdrup & Parcel was requested to carry out a thorough
investigation of this subject. The following procedure was adopted for the completion of this analysis:

1. Re-evaluation of the criteria for the maximum allowable vertical jet velocity and the respective altitude.
2. Tests of a small-scale exhaust stack model for the determination of the diffuser performance. Exit vane angle
adjustments would be made if necessary to meet the velocity criteria.
3. Release a final design of the full-scale diffuser vanes.

The primary objective of this investigation was the evaluation of the exhaust stack gust velocity which would
assure a maximum degree of safety for small airplanes flying low over the stack. A complete deflection of the stack
exhaust jet to horizontal would eliminate the vertical velocity component, but this type of deflector would reduce the
sound attenuation of the stack to a point where a sizable increase in the amount of sound attenuation material would
be required to meet the McDonnell Aircraft Company acoustic criteria. The size of the exhaust stack would also
increase accordingly.

To attain the necessary information on the influence of small-area gusts on the stability of light airplanes, the
following scheme was applied. Wing stall characteristics of a series of light planes, such as the Piper Cub,
Beechcraft Bonanza, Cessna 170, and a Taylorcraft, were determined. This was followed by a series of low altitude
flights through the exhaust jet at the plant of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation with a Beechcraft Bonanza. Finally
the statistical data on atmospheric gust intensities and frequency of occurrence that had been prepared by the NACA
(now NASA) were correlated with the present situation.

The probability factors involved in the realization of a critical flight situation as a result of the exhaust jet were
not considered in this analysis. The extreme improbability of all the necessary conditions being fulfilled
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simultaneously is demonstrated by the fact that the tunnel test run duration for the high mass-flow case is
approximately 10 seconds over a conservative 3-hour period. The favorable influence of horizontal wind
components was also neglected.

By 1996, the internal baffling of the muffler had rusted and fatigued. Parts of the baffle material had fallen into
the cast vertical concrete muffler stack and had become a safety issue. This study was re-visited, and due to the
rather insubstantial amount of light aircraft traffic now landing at Lambert International Airport, the sound baffles
and the deflector cap were permanently removed.

H. Debris Trap

The PSWT has always been used to conduct ejection seat and store drop tests. These began in the 1960’s with
tests on the F-111 Crew Escape Module and a Gemini ejection seat concept. In 2002 and 2003, a series of store
separation tests were conducted at high speed. A novel method was invented to prevent model debris from exiting
the muffler, which was required for safety reasons. Debris would deflect off of the inclined wall at the bottom of the
stack and empty into the surrounding area. Prior to this time, an area around the muffler would be cordoned off and
operation of the wind tunnel would be limited to the time period of 11:00 PM to 5:30 AM. A simple trap design
consisting of inverted “L” shaped sheet metal was fabricated which would absorb energy from flying debris and
prevent it from deflecting upward and out of the exhaust stack. A small sample section was constructed, and tested,
and a complete debris trap was installed.

I. Schlieren System

A number of wind tunnel test programs had to be performed in outside wind tunnel as the PSWT did not have an
adequate Schlieren system to meet test requirements. Many attempts were made to provide this capability over the
time period 1960 thru 2003. Installation of a fully operational Schlieren system in the PSWT was not accomplished
until 2004. The capabilities of this system are described in a previous AIAA report1.

J. Compressor

Decommissioning of the original electric 7,000 HP Cooper-Bessemer Air Plant started in 1999. By the late
1990’s it had become worn to the point that maintenance and downtime costs had made it impractical to continue
operation. It had a specification to fill and pump the storage tanks at a rate of 20 pounds of air per second to 625
psi. Fortunately, an electric backup 6500 HP pump manufactured by Joy had been purchased in 1976 to serve as a
backup to the Cooper-Bessemer air plant. It could not be operated simultaneously to the Cooper-Bessemer due to
the demands on the electric supply. The Joy became the primary compressor in 1999, and the Cooper was retired.
Both pumps had required at least two full-time operators. A new compressor was specified in 2002, which would
be powered by a natural gas turbine, would provide 30 pounds per second of dry air at 625 psi with automated
controls to operate the Joy system concurrently, and reduce the need for operators. The gas turbine compressor
dramatically improved the run rate or productivity of the PSWT with the increased flow rates, and allowed the wind
tunnel to operate without incurring peak power demand charges associated with the electrically powered units.
These charges were as high as $500,000 per year.

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IV. Summary
The Boeing PolySonic Wind Tunnel continues to serve the company. It has been technically and financially
upgraded and supported for over five decades to serve the changing needs of the company, and has made an
immense contribution to the development of aerodynamic and aerospace programs.

V. Memorable Moments in the PolySonic Wind Tunnel

Capturing a 50 year history of well over 800 wind tunnel tests in a series of historical moments may best be done
in snapshots, shown in the following pages. The PSWT has made significant contributions to a variety of aerospace
programs. Landmark wind tunnel tests in the PSWT include: Gemini Spacecraft, the F-4 Phantom II, the F-111
Crew Escape Module, the F-15 Eagle, F/A-18C/D tests, and the Ares Launch vehicle.

During the late 1960’s the PSWT was

used extensively to successfully develop the
F-15, with over 60 F-15 wing variants were
wind tunnel tested out of 125 wings
designed. The F-15’s success was, in part,
due to the PSWT. At that time, it required 11
people to run with a run rate of two runs per
hour

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Figure 7 Between May, 1962 and Figure 6 This Gemini space capsule model is still on display
February, 1966 there were nine in the lobby of the PSWT
Gemini Spacecraft entries in the
PSWT

Figure 9 PSWT Test 71 tested the forces and pressures on Figure 8 PSWT Test 195 showing the bow
an astronaut ejected from the Gemini Spacecraft shock off of the Voyager spacecraft May,
1967

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 48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting

Figure 10 The F-4 Model was a mainstay in the PSWT from the first wind tunnel test in the
PSWT until the mid-1970's

Figure 11 A large assortment of stores were tested on the 5% Scale F-14 wind tunnel model

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Figure 12 PSWT Test 78 included jet effects testing on the F-111 Crew Escape Pod

Figure 13 The 4.7 % Scale F-15 began tests in the PSWT in 1969 and peaked 1975.
The 6% Scale F/A-18A/B wind tunnel model followed with wind tunnel tests beginning
in February 1975.

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Figure 14 Airflow effect on the spacing of the engine nozzles on the F-15 is tested
with colored oil flow visualization in this photo.

Figure 15 The 5% Scale F/A-18E/F model with a varied set of stores to be tested in the PSWT

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Figures 16 and 17 The PSWT has always been a popular choice for missile and launch vehicle
tests, due to its wide Mach range. The Delta Launch Vehicle (above) and the Ares I Crew
Launch Vehicles2 were no exception.

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References
1
Benne, Michael E, “A History and Chronology of the PolySonic Wind Tunnel Schlieren and Window System”,44th
Aerosciences Meeting and Exhibit,January 2006, AIAA-2006-1315
2
Otte, Neil E., Lyles, Garry, Reuter, James L, Davis, Daniel J “ Designing the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle Upper Stage
Element and Integrating the Stack at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center”, 44th AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, July 2008,
AIAA-2008-4983-746

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