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Wind tunnel unsteady pressure

measurements using a differential
optical fiber Fabry-Perot pressure
sensor

Ricardo Correia, Stephen E. Staines, Stephen W. James,

Nicholas Lawson, Kevin Garry, et al.

Ricardo Correia, Stephen E. Staines, Stephen W. James, Nicholas Lawson,

Kevin Garry, Ralph P. Tatam, "Wind tunnel unsteady pressure measurements
using a differential optical fiber Fabry-Perot pressure sensor," Proc. SPIE
9157, 23rd International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors, 915709 (2
June 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2059631

Event: OFS2014 23rd International Conference on Optical Fiber Sensors,

2014, Santander, Spain

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 Wind tunnel unsteady pressure measurements using a differential
optical fiber Fabry-Perot pressure sensor.
Ricardo Correiaa, Stephen E. Stainesa, Stephen W. Jamesa, Nicholas Lawsonb, Kevin Garryc and
Ralph P. Tatam*a
a
Engineering Photonics, bNational Flying Laboratory Centre, cCentre for Aircraft Design School of
Engineering, Cranfield University, MK 43 0AL, UK

ABSTRACT

A differential extrinsic optical fiber Fabry-Perot based pressure sensor has been developed and benchmarked against a
conventional piezoresistive Kulite pressure sensor. The sensors were placed on the fuselage of a 1:10/3 sub-scale model
of a Scottish aviation Bulldog, which was placed in a wind-tunnel. Pressure tappings that surrounded the sensors aided
the mapping of pressure distribution around this section of the fuselage. The results obtained from the fibre optic
pressure sensor are in good agreement with those obtained from the Kulite and from the pressure tappings.
Keywords: Fabry-Perot, Dynamic, Unsteady, Pressure, Aerospace, Fibre optic, Wind tunnel

1. INTRODUCTION
Extrinsic Fabry-Perot (EFP) based pressure sensors have been subject of extensive research and used in many
applications1, 2. The key advantage of this technology is the ability to develop miniature, highly sensitive pressure
sensors that may be interrogated, for example, by commercially available fiber Bragg grating (FBG) interrogation
systems.
The aim of this study was to develop a high sensitivity pressure sensor, capable of measuring changes in pressure over a
total range of approximately 600 Pa with a resolution better than 1 Pa, for aerospace applications. With the ultimate
objective of using this sensor on a flight test, where the changes in atmospheric pressure with altitude would compromise
the sensitivity of the sensor, a differential pressure sensor was developed. In order to compare the behavior of the
developed sensor, a commercially available piezoresistive Kulite pressure sensor was used side by side with the EFP
pressure sensor in a test on a scale model of an aircraft in a wind tunnel.

2. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
2.1 Aircraft scale-model fabrication
The Scottish Aviation Series 120, Model 122 aircraft is an ex RAF training aircraft that dates from the early 1970’s.
In order to build an accurate model of this aircraft, reverse engineering was used where a non-contact scan of the
aircraft was performed using a 3D Leica Scanstation2. The cloud of points obtained through this process was then
post processed using a CAD software Catia©. After the reconstruction of the 3D CAD model, coordinates of the
sections of the fuselage were obtained and used to machine the scaled model on a 3D CNC machine.

Scan of the aircraft Untreated data Reconstructed data Sections of the fuselage Manufactured model

Figure 1. Scottish aviation Bulldog aircraft model development.

*
r.p.tatam@cranfield.ac.uk; phone: +44 1234 754630; www.cranfield.ac.uk/soe/cpoe

23rd International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors, edited by José Miguel López-Higuera,
Julian Jones, Manuel López-Amo, José Luis Santos, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 9157, 915709
© 2014 SPIE · CCC code: 0277-786X/14/$18 · doi: 10.1117/12.2059631

Proc. of SPIE Vol. 9157 915709-1

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 2.2 Extrinsic Fabry-Perot pressure sensor development and calibration
The sensor was fabricated by attaching a highly sensitive microphone membrane to one end of a cylindrical Zirconia
sleeve. A zirconia ferrule containing an optical fibre (SMF-28e+) was then placed inside the sensor housing at a distance
of 800µm from the diaphragm. The side-wall of the zirconia ferrule was machined to create a space between the ferrule
and the inner surface of the sleeve. A hypodermic stainless steel vent tube was then placed between the sleeve and the
ferrule and all the parts were then sealed. A schematic diagram of the sensor is presented in Figure 2 (left).
A static pressure calibration of the sensor head was performed by placing the sensor head inside a hermetically sealed
pressure vessel while its vent tube was routed to the outside and kept at atmospheric pressure. The interrogation of the
sensor was performed using a wavelength tuneable laser source (Santec HSL2000), 2 optical detectors (New Focus
2011-FC), an optical coupler network and a high speed (2 GS/s) data acquisition system (National Instruments (NI PXI
5152 card on a NI PXI 1033 chassis) controlled by a PC. The output wavelength from the laser was rapidly tuned
through the optical spectrum (1262.5-1311.5 nm) at a frequency of 2.5 kHz, capturing complete information on all of the
EFP pressure sensor fringes in a single sweep, resulting in a Nyquist limit of 1.25 kHz. The pressure inside the vessel
was monitored by means of a high accuracy (±8Pa) calibrated pressure indicator (GE DPI-740). For each pressure step,
the reflection spectrum was recorded for 1 second and the central wavelength of one of the peaks of the channeled
spectrum was tracked. Figure 2 (right) shows the linear response of the sensor to the applied pressure. The pressure
resolution of the developed sensor when interrogated with a 1 pm resolution system is 0.14 Pa.

Zirconia 3.5
sleeve
3.0
Wavelength shift (nm)

Zirconia
Fibre optic 2.5
ferrule
Pressure
2.0
increase
1.5
1.0 pressure
Sensing
membrane decrease
Vent tube 0.5
0.0
0 100 200 300 400 500
Pressure (Pa)

(a) (b)
Figure 2. (a) Schematic of the developed pressure sensor (10.5mm long by 3.5mm wide); (b): dependence of the central
wavelength of one EFP pressure sensor fringe on the applied pressure.

2.3 Wind tunnel model rigging and sensors testing

The scale model of the aircraft was instrumented with an EFP sensor and Kulite sensor as shown in figure 3. The sensors
were located behind a communications aerial, simulating the position that is to be used in the planned flight tests. The
model was placed in a closed-return low speed wind tunnel at Cranfield University. The wind tunnel has a 2.43m wide,
by 1.82m high and 5.18m long working section and is capable of producing wind speeds of 55m/s. The aircraft model
was placed in the center of the working section and its centerline oriented for a 0° angle of attack and sideslip. During
the tests, the angle of attack was changed by means of a motorized actuator to -2°, -1°, 0°, 1°, 2°, 4°, 6°, 8°, 10° and 12°.
Sideslip angles of ±5° were also induced at angles of attack 0°, 1°, 2°, 4° and 6°.
37 pressure tappings in the location of the aerial were used to map the pressure distribution around the aerial. The
pressure taps were connected to a pressure scanner that was calibrated prior to the test. In order to amplify the low
voltage signal output of the kulite pressure sensor, a transducer amplifier, Fylde 379TA, was used on a low noise, 6 wire-
remote sensing configuration. The reference pressure ports of the Kulite and EFP pressure sensor were connected to a

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 tube that was routed to the wind tunnel control room. Atmospheric pressure in the room was monitored during the test
using a handheld manometer, DPI-740.

Figure 3. a) Wind tunnel scale model; b) Scottish aviation Bulldog scale model; c) Instrumented plate; d) Pressure tappings around
aerial area.

3. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
The pressure readings obtained from the sensors in response to change of the angle of attack without any sideslip are
presented in Figure 4. As the angle of attack increased, the pressure around the top surface of the aircraft, behind the
cockpit, increased. The data obtained from the EFP pressure sensor are in good agreement with those obtained from the
pressure tap closest to the location of the EFP, pressure tap 23. The data from the Kulite sensor shows an offset of
approximately 20 Pa compared to the results from its corresponding pressure tap, pressure tap 24.

Figure 4. Pressure readings from the sensors in response to the change of angle of attack when subject to a constant wind tunnel flow
speed of 40m/s and no sideslip.

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 Figure 5. Pressure readings from the sensors in response to the change of angle of attack when subject to a constant wind tunnel flow
speed of 40m/s and 5° sideslip.
As for the change of angle of attack with a sideslip of 5° (Figure 5), again is observed a good agreement with the data
obtained from the EFP pressure sensor and the pressure tap 23.The observed pressure is higher compared to the data
obtained for no sideslip due to the change of the airflow around the aircraft fuselage.

4. CONCLUSIONS
A fibre optic differential pressure sensor has been successfully developed and tested. The wind tunnel pressure readings
obtained by this sensor show good agreement with the results obtained from pressure tappings. The developed sensor
demonstrates good potential for measurement of pressure for aerodynamic applications with a pressure resolution of 0.14
Pa over a total pressure range of approximately ±600Pa.

ACKOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the European commission’s 7th Framework programme for
funding the current project ’AIM2 Advanced In-flight measurement techniques’ and help from Paul Dancer from
Cranfield University on the manufacturing of the aircraft model.

REFERENCES

[1] Watson, S., MacPherson, W. N., Barton J. S., Jones J. D. C., Tyas A., Pichugin A. V., Hindle A., Parkes W., Dunare C. and
Stevenson T., “Investigation of shock waves in explosive blasts using fibre optic pressure sensors”, Meas. Sci. Technol., 17,
1337-1342 (2006).
[2] Ferreira, M. S., Roriz, P., Silva, S. O., Santos, J. L., Frazão, O., “Next generation of Fabry-Perot sensors for high-
temperature”, Optical Fiber Tech., 19, 833-837 (2014)

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