Numerical inversion method for determining aerodynamic effects on particulate exhaust plumes from onboard irradiance data

The present ad hoc method for determining the physical properties of particulate exhaust plumes inverts multiband irradiance data collected over fields-of-view that are highly oblique to the plume axis; it is therefore applicable to the onboard measurement of in-flight aerodynamic effects on plume properties. A simple analytical model that predicts irradiance under these assumptions is presented, together with measurements of Mg/PTFE plumes in vacuum. The first step of the inversion process generates the locus of possible temperatures and velocities consistent with a given irradiance measurement; the second step uses two independent irradiance measurements to ascertain a unique temperature and velocity solution.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.