Boundary-Layer Rake of Pitot Tubes for Flight Testing

A boundary-layer rake of pitot tubes has been designed and built for installation on a flight-test fixture (FTF) on the NASA Dryden F-15B, which is a two-seat version of the F-15 high-performance, supersonic, all-weather fighter airplane. This boundary-layer rake will be used in flight-research projects in which there are requirements for detailed surveys of the turbulent boundary layer. A design feature unique to this rake is a curved rake body; this feature makes it possible to cluster the pitot tubes in the near-wall region more densely than they can be clustered in conventional rakes. Results of tests have shown that this rake exhibits good aerodynamic performance and that it is operationally rugged.