Application of pressure sensitive paint to ice accreted wind tunnel models

Pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) has been successfully used to measure global surface pressures on an ice-accreted model in an icing wind tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center. Until now, the PSP technique has been limited to use in normal wind tunnels and clear flight environments. This is the first known application of PSP directly to ice in subfreezing conditions. Several major objectives were achieved in these tests. The procedure for applying the coating in the subfreezing tunnel environment was verified. Inspection of the painted ice surface revealed that the paint did not alter the original ice shape and adhered well over the entire coated area. Several procedures were used to show that the paint responded to changes in air pressure and that a repeatable pressure-dependent calibration could be achieved on the PSP-coated surfaces. Differences in pressure measurements made simultaneously on the ice and the metal test model are not yet fully understood, and techniques to minimize or correct them are being investigated.