New hypersonic wind tunnel 'most advanced in world'
A photo shows a segment of the JF-22 hypersonic wind tunnel. [Screengrab/CCTV News app]
Facility to first focus on developing gliding aircraft, multistage launch vehicles
Recent video coverage by China Media Group has revealed more details about the JF-22 hypersonic wind tunnel, which recently passed quality testing and is considered "the most advanced in the world".
The wind tunnel is designed to support a large number of simulated flight experiments that have to be conducted during the development of various aircraft.
In the testing stage, aircraft flight environments can be simulated by using the high-speed airflow generated in wind tunnels, which allows researchers to study the forces that play on the craft moving at high speeds, and this makes repeated engineering tests unnecessary and saves time.
According to the CMG report, the JF-22 hypersonic wind tunnel, which has a total length of 167 meters, can reproduce flight conditions at altitudes of 40 to 90 kilometers, with a maximum speed of up to 10 kilometers per second, or about 30 times the speed of sound.
Jiang Zonglin, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Mechanics, was quoted as saying that the performance of the JF-22 wind tunnel is "incomparable to any other wind tunnel in the world."
Jiang, who is also the project leader of the hypervelocity shockwave wind tunnel in Beijing's Huairou district, said the JF-22 hypersonic wind tunnel has a large flow field, can function for periods several times longer than similar wind tunnels and is more precise in running experiments.
The temperatures and total pressures generated are also higher, he said.
Song Zhongping, a military commentator, told Beijing Youth Daily that the successful development of the hypersonic wind tunnel provides a platform and new possibilities for China's technological exploration and testing of equipment in developing a new generation of high-speed aircraft.
The goal of developing the JF-22 hypersonic wind tunnel is mainly to solve the experimental research problems of hypersonic flight technology, according to the China Media Group report.
After the project's quality check, the research team will use the JF-22 wind tunnel to focus on the study of gliding aircraft, space-to-Earth flight vehicles and multistage launch vehicles to support China's development in hypersonic technology, it said.
Song said that round trips from Earth to space present many technical challenges and that the hypersonic wind tunnel is an indispensable experimental environment to study the process.
"Space-to-Earth flight not only provides more applications in aviation and aerospace but also greatly reduces launch costs," he added.
Related articles
Burglar hurled stolen mobile phones at police from the top of 60ft high roof during nine
A burglar hurled stolen mobile phones at police officers from the top of a roof during a nine-hour s2024-05-21I masterminded the plot to blow up Lord Mountbatten: Ex
A ruthless ex-IRA commander has sensationally confessed to The Mail on Sunday that he was behind the2024-05-21A man investigated in the deaths of women in northwest Oregon has been indicted in 3 killings
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man who has been under investigation in the deaths of four women whose bodie2024-05-21Gaza: US, international volunteer doctors trapped in hospital by Israeli assault
CAIRO (AP) — The 35 American and other international doctors came to Gaza in volunteer teams to help2024-05-21Socialite Jasmine Hartin enjoys beach snuggle with electrician hunk
Socialite Jasmine Hartin has been seen enjoying a beach snuggle with her new mystery man.Ms Hartin w2024-05-21South China's Beijiang River sees second flood this year
South China's Beijiang River in the Pearl River basin experienced its second flood of the year o2024-05-21
atest comment