High-Speed Cameras for Aerospace & Defence
Chronos high-speed camera systems combine the high-resolution and framerates required to capture fast moving aerospace and ballistics events that appeal to both Engineers and enthusiasts alike.
Capturing high-quality, detailed video down to the millisecond is critical for detailed analysis of projectile launch, combustion testing, and explosives analysis. From the latest rocket launches to the enthusiast community and everyone in between, seeing is believing when looking to trace, evaluate, and calculate critical parameters encountered in aerospace and ballistics events.
Since 2019, Chronos cameras have been part of cutting-edge research relevant to the aerospace and defense industry, i.e. on propellant combustion[1–2], schlieren-based supersonic nozzle flow ejection analysis[3], and skin friction analysis[4], among others. Thus despite its short history, Chronos cameras are building a solid reputation backed up by the publication of results in leading international journals.
With up to 40,000 frames per second, Engineers can observe and evaluate the performance of rocket engines [5]. This is a rather interesting interdisciplinary research field, bringing together individuals of different backgrounds to develop solutions relevant to a large number of industrial and commercial fields.
The all-in-one system includes a robust 5” display and battery pack perfect for portability when observing rocket launches or ballistics tests in the field or in a testing facility. The ease-of-use virtually eliminates the learning curve and the affordability is perfect for any team’s budget, so they can focus on the work and not on becoming a camera expert.
Take a look at the Chronos-compatible accessories we offer to make your Chronos experience more effective: trigger switches to operate your camera remotely, storage devices, illumination sources, lenses, and lens adapters
Applications
- Flight tracking
- Projectile launch
- Particle tracking
- Particle Image Velocimetry
- Combustion Observation
- Engine performance analysis
- Ballistics
- Weapons testing
References
- Zhuang, Y., Feng, Y., Dong, L., Zhang, B. and Ling, Z., 2022, May. Experimental Study on Ignition and Combustion Characteristics of Al/NEPE Propellant. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 2235, No. 1, p. 012075). IOP Publishing.
- Rasmont, N., Broemmelsiek, E.J., Mundahl, A. and Rovey, J., 2019. Linear burn rate of ionic liquid multimode monopropellant. In AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2019 Forum (p. 4294).
- Chaudhary, M., Krishna, T.V., Nanda, S.R., Karthick, S.K., Khan, A., De, A. and Sugarno, I.M., 2020. On the fluidic behavior of an over-expanded planar plug nozzle under lateral confinement. Physics of Fluids, 32(8).
- Liu, T., Chen, T., Salazar, D.M. and Miozzi, M., 2022. Skin friction and surface optical flow in viscous flows. Physics of fluids, 34(6).
- Kuhns, M.M., Roberson, T., Rixon, G., Byron, J., Devore, K. and Beard, S., 2020. Plastic Rocket Engines for New Space Propulsion R&D. In AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2020 Forum (p. 3504).
Some things to consider when choosing a high-speed camera for Aerospace and Defence use are:
Frame-rate
What is the duration and speed of the event?
Chronos range from 1,000 - 40,000 FPS / 3-16 seconds of record time.
Resolution
What is the level of detail required to capture the event?
Chronos range from 1280x1024 to 1920x1080HD max resolution.
Light Sensitivity
What is the lighting sensitivity/contrast required to capture the event?
Chronos range from ISO 320-16,000 depending upon model and sensor type (color or monochrome).
Subject Matter
What is the size and distance from the subject?
Chronos offers a selection of lenses to capture events near or far.
Chronos Cameras in Publications and Journal Articles
Experimental Study on Ignition and Combustion Characteristics of Al/NEPE Propellant
Paper by: Y Zhuang, Y Feng, L Dong, B Zhang, and Z Ling
In this study, Y. Zhuang and colleagues studied the ignition and combustion characteristics of A1 particles.
They used a Chronos 1.4 high-speed camera to record the Ignition and combustion process at different pressures. Their study combines high-speed camera recordings and fiber optical spectrometer measurements to analyze in details the propellant combustion process. The authors report the release of A1 particles from the burning process. More importantly, the increase in pressure leads to larger amounts of particles released. The presence of particle agglomerates directly affects the impulse of a rocket engine, thus their findings can lead to improvements in solid rocket engines' performance.
Read the case study here: Experimental Study on Ignition and Combustion Characteristics of Al/NEPE Propellant
Linear Burn Rate of Ionic Liquid Multimode Monopropellant
Paper by: N Rasmont, E J Broemmelsiek, A J Mundahl, and J L Rovey
Rasmont et al. measured the burn rate of a liquid monopropellant. They measured it using a pressure-based method and high-speed recordings. The authors varied the pressure in the range of 0.5 to 10 MPa. For the video recording process, they used a Chronos 1.4 high-speed camera at 1057 fps. Their results show that the burn rate of the monopropellant studied follows, not a linear, but instead an exponential law between 0.5 and 3 MPa. Their results can pave the way to improve multimode propulsion, thus mission flexibility of small satellites.
Read the case study here: Linear Burn Rate of Ionic Liquid Multimode Monopropellant
On the Fluidic Behavior of an Over-expanded Planar Plug Nozzle under Lateral Confinement
Paper by: M Chaudhary, T V Krishna, S R Nanda, S K Karthick, A Khan, A. De, and I M Sugarno
The research work by Chaudhary et al. analyzed the fluidic behavior on lateral confinement of a planar plug nozzle. They used a Z-type Schlieren visualization setup and a Chronos 1.4 color high-speed camera to record the flow exiting the nozzle. The Schlieren images provided qualitative estimates of the flow field while pressure measurements were used to determine quantitative information. The authors complemented their work with CFD simulations. They were especially useful to gain further understanding of the flow behavior in regions not accessible experimentally. The results of their research study are relevant to understanding how to improve the performance of nozzles used in propulsion systems of rockets and launch vehicles.
Read the case study here: On the Fluidic Behavior of an Over-expanded Planar Plug Nozzle under Lateral Confinement
Skin Friction and Surface Optical Flow in Viscous Flows
Paper by: T Liu, T Chen, D M Salazar, and M Miozzi
Researchers at Western Michigan University evaluated the viability of conducting skin friction measurements from surface temperature characteristics. The specimen used for their study is a NACA 0015 airfoil. It was tested at the low-speed wind tunnel of the Applied Aerodynamics Laboratory of the mentioned University.
Using temperature-sensitive paint, TSP, and a Chronos 1.4 high-speed camera at 900 fps they recorded surface flow visualizations. Their experimental results were crucial to validate the relationship between the surface optical flow (SOF) and the skin friction in viscous flows. Due to the direct link between wall shear stress and fluid-mechanic drag, this type of work is crucial to developing more efficient drag reduction strategies.
Read the case study here: Skin Friction and Surface Optical Flow in Viscous Flows
Plastic Rocket Engines for New Space Propulsion R&D
Paper by: M Kuhns, G Rixon, T Roberson, J Byron, K Devore, S Beard, and C Ake
Engineers of Masten Space Systems used a Chronos high-speed camera at 1 kfps to evaluate a “plastic” rocket engine, named Variable Geometry Research (VGR) engine. The recorded footage turned out to be crucial to pinpoint the location of the rocket engine failure and its cause. Their report is relevant as the documentation of rocket engine failure is not something commonly disclosed. The authors mention that this event can be considered an acceptable low-cost risk. It is worth keeping in mind that this type of risk is characteristic of “new space” companies pushing the boundaries of technology.
Read the case study here: Plastic Rocket Engines for New Space Propulsion R&D