Shock Tunnels and Hypersonic Research in IISc, Bangalore

Abstract

The Laboratory for Hypersonic and Shock wave Research (LHSR), Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore is a dedicated centre for the research, among other domains of fluid dynamics, on the shock dominated phenomena. More often than not, the focus of the research is on the flow phenomena at high enthalpies, which are addressed using the impulse facilities—shock tubes and tunnels. Ever since its inception as the High Enthalpy Aerodynamics Laboratory (HEAL) in the early 1970s the laboratory has pioneered in many domains of hypersonic and shock wave research in the country. The research from the laboratory has not only supported the hypersonic missions of national and global interests, but also has greatly contributed to the fundamental understanding of many aspects of high speed/shock dominated flows and their control. The present chapter describes the various shock tunnels in the laboratory and reviews some of the important research works carried out in these ground test facilities.