Development and Analysis of a Fast Temperature Sensor for High Velocity Flows

The paper reports on the development of a fast-response sensor for the measurement of stagnation gas temperatures in high speed wind tunnels. This thin-film sensor consists of a combination of two materials: A carrier plate of Zirconium oxide (zirconia, ZrO₂) as a substrate material and platinum as the sensing film. After the sensors had been successfully manufactured, tests showed that the response time is approximately 150 ms in the conditions on a smaller test rig. Applications for this sensor include the use in high speed wind tunnels, if the required response times are in the range of several hundredths of a second, or measurements are undertaken in a high temperature environment.