Abstract
In this article, error sources affecting the dynamic calibration of fast-response pressure probes in shock tubes are examined. In particular, the sensors uncertainty, the uncertainty in the rising point of the pressure step, and the nonideality of the step are treated. The latter refers to the presence of pressure oscillations past the shock front, which are particularly important in the case of low-pressure shock tubes, typically used for the calibration of pressure probes for turbomachinery applications. The nonideality effect is investigated using a linear time invariant (LTI) second-order model for the transfer function of the probe’s line-cavity system and an existing analytical model for the post-shock oscillations. The effects of these uncertainty sources to the experimentally determined transfer function of a fast-response probe calibrated in the von Karman Institute (VKI) shock tube are finally presented.
