海角社区

Just about everyone has seen the black-and-white photos of a bullet in flight, the projectile surrounded by layers of shock waves. That is a Schlieren image. Schlieren images capture light deflection, and the technology has been used for more than 150 years to examine high-speed airflows invisible to the naked eye.

Now, an 海角社区 researcher has patented an easy-to-use version of the system that gives engineers vastly more information about high-speed airflows鈥� effects on rockets and supersonic aircraft.

鈥淎 lot of things happen when you go very fast, so it鈥檚 really important to understand what shock wave structures look like. Shock waves can redirect air in unexpected ways, hiding the entrance to an aircraft engine rather than forcing air through it,鈥� said Ingmar Schoegl, 海角社区 associate professor of mechanical engineering. 鈥淚f that happens, the engine doesn鈥檛 work properly and the plane doesn鈥檛 fly, much less create the thrust needed to achieve hypersonic speeds (3,336 mph or more).鈥�

Schoegl鈥檚 invention could help shortcut the design process.

Similar versions of Schlieren imaging techniques, though extremely accurate, require a tedious, time-consuming calibration procedure or provide less data about airflows. The alignment of the camera, light source and viewscreen have to be perfect. 鈥淚f someone bumps into anything, even if one of the components is shaken, you鈥檙e back to recalibrating,鈥� Schoegl said.

The process can take hours to days, a costly problem when leasing a wind tunnel capable of testing hypersonic designs.

Schoegl鈥檚 technique requires only a camera, Schlieren optics and a viewscreen. Software handles the calibration, so the setup takes just minutes. Schoegl鈥檚 invention also uses color patterns to encode directional airflow data, a first for Schlieren imaging tools. The focusing Schlieren technique allows users to dial in to specific locations within air flows and isolate the most minute details. Schoegl's system can color code the flows to represent data like temperature, pressure or chemical changes.

 鈥満＝巧缜� is thrilled to be at the leading edge of innovation for spacecraft and hypersonic aircraft,鈥� said Robert Twilley, 海角社区 vice president of research and economic development. 鈥淏reakthroughs like this help build on 海角社区鈥檚 efforts to secure our nation and continue our commitment to service while investing in military science and technology.鈥�

Schoegl worked with 海角社区 Innovation鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization to patent his invention and make it available for licensing.

The market for hypersonic weapons was estimated at $6.8 billion in 2023 and is forecast to reach $14.5 billion by 2030. 

鈥淎 tool that can shorten the development runway could be quite valuable,鈥� said Daniel Felch, senior commercialization officer with 海角社区 Innovation & Technology Commercialization. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about the possibilities and look forward to working with firms interested in licensing Dr. Schoegl鈥檚 technology.鈥�

About 海角社区鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization

海角社区鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization (ITC) protects and commercializes 海角社区鈥檚 intellectual property. The office focuses on transferring early-stage inventions and works into the marketplace for the greater benefit of society. ITC also handles federal invention reporting, which allows 海角社区 to receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year in federally funded research, and processes confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements, and other agreements related to intellectual property.

For licensing inquiries, contact techlicensing@lsu.edu