Regularization Algorithms for the Stress-Wave Force Balance Technique

What is it about?

In the specialized wind tunnels used for hypersonic research, tests are over in milliseconds. This is too short for traditional instruments to measure forces accurately, because of oscillations. The Stress-Wave Force Balance Technique (SWFBT) enables forces to be reconstructed from measurements of stress waves traveling through the test model. However, the crucial mathematical step in this technique, called deconvolution, is inherently unstable and can dramatically amplify even tiny amounts of measurement noise. This paper explores advanced mathematical methods, known as regularization algorithms, control this noise amplification. By simulating forces on a simple rod and adding artificial noise, the study shows that these algorithms can successfully filter out the noise and accurately reconstruct the true forces, making the SWFBT a reliable and practical tool for hypersonic research.

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Photo by Hermeus on Unsplash

Photo by Hermeus on Unsplash