Publications

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The combustion of molten metals is an important area of study with applications ranging from solid aluminized rocket propellants to fireworks displays. This work uses digital in-line holography (DIH) to experimentally quantify the three-dimensional position, size, and velocity of aluminum particles during combustion of ammonium perchlorate (AP) based solid-rocket propellants. In addition, spatially resolved particle temperatures are simultaneously measured using two-color imaging pyrometry. To allow for fast characterization of the properties of tens of thousands of particles, automated data processing routines are proposed. Using these methods, statistics from aluminum particles with diameters ranging from 15 to 900 µm are collected at an ambient pressure of 83 kPa. In the first set of DIH experiments, increasing initial propellant temperature is shown to enhance the agglomeration of nascent aluminum at the burning surface, resulting in ejection of large molten aluminum particles into the exhaust plume. The resulting particle number and volume distributions are quantified. In the second set of simultaneous DIH and pyrometry experiments, particle size and velocity relationships as well as temperature statistics are explored. The average measured temperatures are found to be 2640 ± 282 K, which compares well with previous estimates of the range of particle and gas-phase temperatures. The novel methods proposed here represent new capabilities for simultaneous quantification of the joint size, velocity, and temperature statistics during the combustion of molten metal particles. The proposed techniques are expected to be useful for detailed performance assessment of metalized solid-rocket propellants.

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Aluminized propellants produce molten particulates of variable size and temperature. In this work, sizes and three-dimensional positions are determined using digital in-line holography with a pulsed laser. Simultaneously, particle temperatures are measured using two-color pyrometry.

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Temperature monitoring is essential in automation, mechatronics, robotics and other dynamic systems. Wireless methods which can sense multiple temperatures at the same time without the use of cables or slip-rings can enable many new applications. A novel method utilizing small permanent magnets is presented for wirelessly measuring the temperature of multiple points moving in repeatable motions. The technique utilizes linear least squares inversion to separate the magnetic field contributions of each magnet as it changes temperature. The experimental setup and calibration methods are discussed. Initial experiments show that temperatures from 5 to 50 °C can be accurately tracked for three neodymium iron boron magnets in a stationary configuration and while traversing in arbitrary, repeatable trajectories. This work presents a new sensing capability that can be extended to tracking multiple temperatures inside opaque vessels, on rotating bearings, within batteries, or at the tip of complex endeffectors.

The breakup of liquids due to aerodynamic forces has been widely studied. However, the literature contains limited quantified data on secondary droplet sizes, particularly as a function of time. Here, a column of liquid water is subjected to a step change in relative gas velocity using a shock tube. A unique digital in-line holography (DIH) configuration is proposed which quantifies the secondary droplets sizes, three-dimensional position, and three-component velocities at 100 kHz. Results quantify the detailed evolution of the characteristic mean diameters and droplet size-velocity correlations as a function of distance downstream from the initial location of the water column. Accuracy of the measurements is confirmed through mass balance. These data give unprecedented detail on the breakup process which will be useful for improved model development and validation.