A fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle configured with a composite adaptive nonlinear tracking controller that utilizes a real-time accurate estimation of the complex aerodynamic forces surrounding the wing(s) and rotors in order to achieve a high performance flight. The method employs online adaptation of force models, and generates accurate estimation for wing and rotor forces in real-time based on information from a three-dimensional airflow sensor. The novel three-dimensional airflow sensor illustrates improved velocity tracking and force prediction during the transition stage from hover to forward flight.

A visualization device for a flow field includes a chamber, a power supply, at least one pair of electrodes, and at least one flow field observation module. The flow field observation module includes a high-speed camera, a light detecting component, and a light filter component. The power supply outputs a voltage to generate a plasma, and the pair of electrodes is disposed in the chamber. The flow field observation module is disposed outside the chamber and captures an image of a fluid particle excited by the plasma toward the chamber. The light filter component is disposed between the high-speed camera and the chamber. The light detecting component obtains a light information within the chamber and sends the light information to the light filter component.

Methods and systems for locating a chemical source include cross-correlating chemical concentration data from pairs of positions using a processor to determine an average velocity vector for a group of positions that averages away turbulence contributions. A convergence region is determined based on multiple average velocity vectors to determine a chemical source location.

A non-destructive monitoring method for internal pressure intensity of a pipeline. The method establishes an equation relationship by the fact that the variation of the internal diameter of the pipeline is the same as that measured by FBG sensors, and can effectively obtain the value of the internal pressure intensity of the pipeline by measuring the strain values of the FBG sensors installed on the pipeline so as to monitor the internal pressure intensity of the pipeline. The present invention has the advantages of simple principle, convenient installation, no damage to pipeline structure, long-distance real-time on-line monitoring and the like, and can measure the pressure intensity of various pipelines with different diameters by changing the calibration distance of sensors and the dimension of sensor clamps. This can complete non-destructive, real-time and accurate monitoring on the internal pressure intensity of the pipeline.

A nasal simulator includes a three-dimensional (3D) printed nasal cavity within based on diagnostic imagery of a human nasal cavity. The nasal simulator comprising a fan system positioned to mimic air flow through the human nasal cavity. A first probe access bore is formed through the 3D printed nasal cavity to a first location having a first internal contour. An anemometer insert having an outer diameter sized to be slidingly received in and to pneumatically seal the first probe access bore, the anemometer insert having a distal contour that aligns with the first internal contour of the 3D printed nasal cavity, the anemometer insert having a longitudinal bore that is sized to receive a probe of an anemometer to detect characteristics of the air flow through the 3D cavity.

Systems, devices, and methods are described herein for performing digital holography to analyze dynamics of fluid flow. According to some aspects of this disclosure, a Digital Fresnel Reflection Holography (DFRH) system, which is arranged to utilize light backscattered from particles in a fluid chamber to create a hologram that may be processed to analyze characteristics of fluid flow. The DFRH system may utilize light reflected from an imaging window disposed between a light source and a sampling volume, to be analyzed as a reference wave, to form an interference pattern and resultant hologram. According to some aspects of this disclosure, the DFRH techniques may provide simple, cost-effective mechanisms with improved performance over other techniques for analyzing fluid flow using holography.

Techniques for updating wake separation distance between aircraft are described. A sensors mesh within a flight path of an aircraft is used to detect when a wake vortex from the aircraft has drifted onto the sensor mesh. A minimum wake separation distance and separation interval for following aircraft are determined based on the various sensor measurements, environmental conditions, and aircraft properties. The minimum wake separation distance and separation interval are used to minimize aircraft separation distances between aircraft that are required due to wake vortex turbulence caused by aircraft during flight.

For tracking a plurality of objects in a three-dimensional space two-dimensional pictures objects are recorded with two black and white cameras out of two different imaging directions. Both first pictures and second pictures of the two cameras are simultaneously exposed at two points in time in equal ways, a point in time at which the second pictures are exposed for a first time following to a point in time at which the first pictures are exposed for a last time at a much shorter interval than the two points in time of exposure of both the first and second pictures. First and second distributions of real positions of the individual objects are determined from their images in the first and second pictures, respectively; and temporally resolved trajectories of the individual objects in the three-dimensional space are determined from the first and second distributions of real positions.

Techniques for updating wake separation distance between aircraft are described. A sensors mesh within a flight path of an aircraft is used to detect when a wake vortex from the aircraft has drifted onto the sensor mesh. A minimum wake separation distance and separation interval for following aircraft are determined based on the various sensor measurements, environmental conditions, and aircraft properties. The minimum wake separation distance and separation interval are used to minimize aircraft separation distances between aircraft that are required due to wake vortex turbulence caused by aircraft during flight.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to determining health of an electrical heater of an air data probe based on a comparison between a calculated expected value and a measured value of an electrical property of the electrical heater. The expected value of the electrical property is calculated based in part on the electrical power provided to the electrical heater and further based in part on the aircraft flight parameters and/or environmental conditions. Such aircraft flight parameters and/or environmental conditions can include at least one of: electric power source status, airspeed, air pressure, altitude, air temperature, humidity, liquid water content, ice water content, droplet/particle size distribution, angle of attack, and angle of sideslip. These aircraft flight parameters and/or environmental conditions are received via an aircraft interface.