Measuring Techniques Applied in an MHD-Augmented Shock Tunnel

The determination of the detailed performance of an MHD-augmented high-enthalphy shock tunnel requires the simultaneous measurment of a large number of aerodynamic, electrical, and electromagnetic parameters in a test time interval of the order of several hundred microseconds. In the feasibility study currently being conducted in our laboratory of such a device, an extensive measuring system was set up and evaluated, and is being used to acquire facility performance data. This paper describes this measuring system, discusses the modifications and adaptations applied to make the various components of the system operable and compatible, and gives illustrative examples of the performance of the system.     

Tracking multiple targets with correlated measurements andmaneuvers

The problem of tracking N targets with correlation in both measurement and maneuver statistics is solved by transforming to a coordinate frame in which the N targets are decoupled. For the case of N identical targets, the decoupling is shown to coincide with a transformation to a set of nested center-of-mass coordinates. Absolute and differential tracking accuracies are compared with suboptimal results to show the improvement that is achieved by properly exploiting the correlation between targets     

Distortion Generated in Angle-Modulation Systems by Phased Arrays

The case of linear, uniformly weighted phased arrays is examined via time and frequency domain analyses. Bounds that must be placed on array length, modulation frequency, modulation index ?, and scan angle relationships if excessive distortion is to be avoided in wideband angle-modulated communication systems are established. Distortion is shown to consist of odd harmonic terms. It is also shown that, for one class of equivalent RF signals, phased arrays produce approximately three times as much distortion in frequency-modulation (FM) systems as in phase-modulation (PM) systems. Graphs of distortion plotted as functions of signal and array parameters show that, for practical array sizes, distortion is a monotonically increasing function of the product of L and sin ? where L is the length of the array expressed in modulation wavelengths ?m and ? is the scan angle. In PM systems, distortion also increases monotonically with the modulation index ?. Plots of distortion versus L sin ? show that even relatively small arrays can produce intolerable distortion levels in wideband systems; e.g., an FM system having ? = 3,L = 0.35?m, and ? = 60 degrees exhibits approximately 20 percent distortion.