What unique environment does an arc jet produce?
High temperature hypersonic flows (Mach > 5) of gases in a wind tunnel that impinge on a sample of heat shield material about the size of a small bowl. The response of the material to the high heating and high temperature is observed during an exposure lasting as short as a few seconds or as long as 30 minutes, depending on what is desired. Measurements that are made are typically heat flux, material temperature, surface pressure, gas temperature, test gas composition and velocity.
