Test Benches and Wind Tunnels

  Machine Hall IST Copyright: © RWTH Aachen | IST

The oldest machine hall in Aachen, which was built in 1897, is located in the institute. Through continous modernization work, the hall has always been brought up to the current state of the art.

 

Several test rigs are assigned to the specialized fields of jet propulsion and turbomachinery of Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Prof. Jeschke and space propulsion of Prof. Dr.-Ing. The test rigs for the investigation of turbomachinery are located in the laboratory of the IST at the Campus Mitte of the RWTH Aachen, while the department of space propulsion is located at DLR in Lampoldshausen, where all DLR test rigs are located as well.

Test rigs

The large test rigs are used to provide a realistic replication of the flow conditions in turbomachinery for various applications, which are used by the industrial partners in current or future products. The test rigs at IST are more extensively instrumented than their industrial counterparts, so that the physical phenomena investigated can be measured.

All test rigs are planned and built in close cooperation with the respective industrial partners in order to integrate their experience and competence in the best possible way when carrying out research. The respective instrumentation is mainly manufactured in the institute's own workshop and customized for the specific research objective.

Wind tunnels

In order to adapt to new tasks, the test rigs are continuously developed and modified. In addition to the large test benches, the IST also operates several wind tunnels in which individual flow phenomena are investigated in detail. Thereby, boundary conditions such as inflow angle, Mach number or Reynolds number can be easily modified. In addition, the wind tunnels can be adapted to new objectives more easily than the large test rigs due to their simpler design.

Test rigs (DLR)

Research test benches and experimental vehicles for rocket propulsion systems are designed for the detailed quantitative investigation of elementary processes and new technologies for engine components. The test benches allow investigations under conditions that are representative for cryogenic high-pressure engines. Test benches with low-pressure supply enable investigations at the engine level, another focus of the work.