The Ludwieg Tube Wind Tunnel Göttingen (RWG)

Abstract

The Ludwieg Tube Wind Tunnel Göttingen (RWG) of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) has been operating successfully since 1968 and is the world's first intermittently operating large-scale aerodynamic research facility based on the Ludwieg tube principle. This wind tunnel principle was originally developed by Hubert Ludwieg for the cost-effective experimental investigation of supersonic and hypersonic flows at high Reynolds numbers. Intermittent operation ensures that the required operating power and costs remain moderate, even at high flow rates. The RWG is still the largest research facility of its kind in Europe. It has two storage tubes 80 m long and six supersonic nozzles covering discrete Mach numbers from 2 to 7. The test section diameter is 0.5 m (or 0.5 m ×  0.5 m) and test times are up to 320-380 ms. The facility is ideal not only for the validation of new numerical methods, but also for the study of complex phenomena in supersonic and hypersonic flows. The effects of the transition from laminar to turbulent flow and the interactions between shock waves and the boundary layer, e.g. on the aerothermal loads of re-entry or high-speed vehicles, can be studied in detail.