Recent advances in hypersonic fast pressure-sensitive paint measurement technology

Complex flow phenomena such as transition, separation and shock-wave–boundary-layer interaction commonly exist in hypersonic flows, which lead to fast-changing and complicated surface pressure distributions. Pressure-sensitive paint（PSP） is a highly desired fine measurement technology in hypersonic aerodynamic testing, which has shown clear advantages such as non-intrusive, high spatial resolution and full-field measurement. In recent years, due to the enhancement of PSP’s response time and the development of measurement methods, the application of this technology has been expanded from regular low-speed/high-speed wind tunnel testing to the hypersonic field. Meanwhile, there are breakthroughs in high-speed moving model testing techniques. This paper first introduces the most recent research advances in the fast PSP measurement technology, and then discusses the challenges and countermeasures of PSP measurement based on application examples in two typical hypersonic wind tunnels and one relatively special free-flight ballistic range facility. Finally, the conclusion and outlook are given.