You are here

  • Home > 
  • Aeronautical/Astronautical Research Laboratory

Aeronautical/Astronautical Research Laboratory

Experimental aerodynamics research in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, spanning the flight regime from subsonic through hypersonic, is focused at the Aeronautical and Astronautical Research Laboratories (AARL). The "Aero" Lab, with its long history of contributing to the field of aviation and space research, is located at Don Scott Field at the Ohio State University Airport. Dr. Jeffrey Bons is the laboratory director.

With an extensive physical plant of high pressure compressors and air storage of 1,500 cubic feet at 2560 psia, two megawatt motor generators for DC electric power and a vacuum system capable of holding 1/100 atmospheres, the AARL faculty and staff have designed, operated and instrumented experimental facilities that are unique. These facilities range from the first continuous flow, electric air-heated hypersonic wind, heated shock tube; a plasma wind tunnel; and a very high Reynolds number transonic facility and a low turbulence transonic airfoil test wind tunnel.

Research Projects and facilities at the laboratory include:

  • Subsonic Wind Tunnels
  • Transonic Wind Tunnels
  • Mach 6 Hypersonic Wind Tunnel
  • Jet Simulators
  • Jet Engine Test Cell

Ohio State Researchers pioneered test cell systems during the past 25 years. A major factor is that jet engines are simulated by high pressure ejectors, not air driven turbines. Simulators, at present available for all engines in the GE Aviation inventory, provide the scaled thrust at the scaled air flow rate while the test conditions in the test cell, pressure, and inlet velocities are monitored. Engine simulations and test cells are all built to a 1" to 1ft. Maximum scale thrust tested is above 100,000 pounds.

Dr. Mohammad Samimy                                                                                                                                  Aeronautical/Astronautical Research Laboratory
2300 West Case Road
Columbus, Ohio 43235
(614) 247 6988 (phone)