This blows?: Evaluation of additive manufactured five hole probes for unmanned system based wind measurements

Abstract

A deep understanding of the wind in the atmosphere is becoming valuable as unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are integrated into the National Airspace System. Unmanned vehicles are also becoming a key tool in weather observation and research. One of the most effective ways to measure wind from a fixed wing aircraft is a multi-hole probe (MHP). Commercial probes can be prohibitively expensive for wide scale use. Custom probes machined from metal can require extensive manufacture time and expensive tools for machining. Additive manufactured probes have been proven to be accurate in a wind tunnel and offer a good option for a cheap and easy to manufacture MHP. Limited flight testing and evaluation of the probes in flight has been done. This thesis investigates the use of a fully additive manufactured probe for UAS based wind measurements. A variety of different evaluation techniques from literature are used and compared. The paper covers the design, calibration, and preliminary validation of the probes. The probe is demonstrated for use in a meteorological application where the probes are used with a full meteorological sensor suite to produce atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) observations.