Custom flow conditioning inserts for aerospace inlet
This technology is a device that creates highly specific, controlled airflow conditions inside a wind tunnel or test environment. It works by combining two components: a screen-based pressure shaper and a set of adjustable vanes that redirect air to match a desired speed pattern. Together, these pieces produce a precise combination of pressure and velocity profiles downstream, essentially simulating the complex airflow a jet engine or vehicle component would experience in real-world conditions. Engineers can fabricate these devices to order for a specific test scenario, then install them in an existing facility without rebuilding the tunnel itself.
What you could build
A made-to-order flow conditioning insert for aerospace and defense test facilities, sold to engine manufacturers, airframe OEMs, and government test ranges that need to validate components under realistic inlet distortion conditions without building bespoke test rigs.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia hosts major defense and aerospace test infrastructure, including facilities tied to NASA Langley, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, and numerous defense primes in the NoVA corridor, all of which run aerodynamic and propulsion testing programs.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Dustin J. Frohnapfel, Walter F. O'Brien Jr., K. Todd Lowe
- Granted
- December 15, 2020
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 10865818
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.