Tomo-PIV Study of Baseline Flow Structures Behind a Strut Injector
Location
Havener Center, Meramec Gasconade Room, 9:30am-11:30am
Start Date
4-2-2026 11:00 AM
End Date
4-2-2026 11:30 AM
Presentation Date
April 2, 2026; 11:00am-11:30am
Description
Stabilizing combustion in scramjet engines is a formidable challenge due to the small time scales afforded for air-fuel mixing. Numerous studies in this area have demonstrated the potential of strut-style platforms for fuel injection and mixing enhancement, which remains an active area of research. In the Aerodynamics Research Laboratory at Missouri S&T, a strut-style injector system has recently been installed. In this study, we characterize the baseline flow structures behind this platform absent fuel injection. The wake generated by a strut itself has an appreciable impact on the resulting air-fuel mixing, which motivates its characterization. In future studies, this characterization will help delineate the structures generated by the strut and those resulting from fuel injection or trailing edge modifications. Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry (Tomo-PIV) is utilized to capture the flow field downstream of the strut injector platform. By establishing a versatile strut platform and Tomo-PIV as an adjoining measurement technique, this work lays the foundation for future fundamental studies in supersonic mixing.
Biography
Josiah McDermott completed his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Missouri S&T in May of 2024 and is currently a second year PhD student in the Aerospace Engineering department. He conducts research in the Aerodynamics Research Laboratory (ARL) under the supervision of Dr. Viganò. Experimentally, his research focuses on high-speed mixing, wind tunnel calibration, and non-intrusive diagnostics. Using Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry, he has contributed to characterization campaigns of the upgraded Missouri S&T Supersonic Wind Tunnel and strut injection platform.
Meeting Name
2026 - Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Document Type
Presentation
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 The Authors, All rights reserved
Tomo-PIV Study of Baseline Flow Structures Behind a Strut Injector
Havener Center, Meramec Gasconade Room, 9:30am-11:30am
Stabilizing combustion in scramjet engines is a formidable challenge due to the small time scales afforded for air-fuel mixing. Numerous studies in this area have demonstrated the potential of strut-style platforms for fuel injection and mixing enhancement, which remains an active area of research. In the Aerodynamics Research Laboratory at Missouri S&T, a strut-style injector system has recently been installed. In this study, we characterize the baseline flow structures behind this platform absent fuel injection. The wake generated by a strut itself has an appreciable impact on the resulting air-fuel mixing, which motivates its characterization. In future studies, this characterization will help delineate the structures generated by the strut and those resulting from fuel injection or trailing edge modifications. Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry (Tomo-PIV) is utilized to capture the flow field downstream of the strut injector platform. By establishing a versatile strut platform and Tomo-PIV as an adjoining measurement technique, this work lays the foundation for future fundamental studies in supersonic mixing.
Comments
Advisor: Davide Vigano, dvigano@mst.edu