Wind tunnel testing of a generic telescope enclosure

Tait S. Pottebaum; Douglas G. MacMynowski

doi:10.1117/12.550798

29 September 2004 Wind tunnel testing of a generic telescope enclosure

Tait S. Pottebaum, Douglas G. MacMynowski

Proceedings Volume 5495, Astronomical Structures and Mechanisms Technology; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.550798
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2004, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Abstract

The design of future large optical telescopes must take into account the wind-induced buffeting of the telescope structure caused by large-scale flow structures and turbulence inside the dome. However, estimating the resulting degradation in image quality is difficult due to our relatively poor understanding of the flow inside the dome. Data has been collected in a scaled wind-tunnel test of a telescope enclosure to understand the flow-field around the region near the dome opening where the secondary mirror and supporting structure would be subjected to wind loads. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) data was collected in a vertical plane near the dome opening to obtain mean velocity and fluctuation kinetic energy. In addition, hotwire data was collected along the telescope axis to obtain temporal spectra of the velocity, and flow visualization was used to determine the general flow patterns. In addition to its direct use in telescope modeling and design, this data is of particular value in validation of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analyses, so that CFD can be used with confidence in future design work.

Citation Download Citation

Tait S. Pottebaum and Douglas G. MacMynowski "Wind tunnel testing of a generic telescope enclosure", Proc. SPIE 5495, Astronomical Structures and Mechanisms Technology, (29 September 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.550798

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