Fabrication and Cold-Flow Testing of Subscale Space-Based Laser Geometry

The objectives of this research were to build a facility that could simulate the expected fluid flow properties in the conceptual Space Based Laser Integrated Flight Experiment (SBL IFX) gas dynamic laser using cold-flow, and to investigate the performance of the model. A 1/5th scale model was fabricated and mated to a blow-down/vacuum wind tunnel. Using rapid data acquisition and schlieren photography the diffuser was determined to initially produce similar fluid flow to the SBL IFX, but rapidly became subsonic due to a transient normal shock wave formed when the wind tunnel was started