NASA Model Wing Lights Up During First Pressure Sensitive Paint Tests - NASA

Researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center tested a pressure-sensitive coating on a Benchmark Supercritical Wing in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel in Virginia.

Under ultraviolet light, the coating glowed pink-purple. High-speed cameras recorded shifts in its brightness, which correspond to changes in air pressure over the wing.

The benchmark model is not based on a specific aircraft. NASA uses such models to improve computer simulations by comparing them with wind tunnel measurements.

This was the paint’s first use on a large, freely moving model in a low-oxygen setting. NASA says the tunnel’s capabilities made the test possible.

The work could support future trials with flexible wings that bend in flight. NASA expects the method to help refine aircraft designs and simulations.