Honors Theses

Advisor

Carson Running, Ph.D.

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Publication Date

11-2025

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

Pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) enables full-field, optical pressure measurement through oxygen quenching of luminescent molecules but is limited by slow response times at high frequencies. To evaluate dynamic PSP behavior, a resonance tube system was developed in this study capable of generating standing pressure waves up to 60 kHz using a high-frequency super tweeter. Synchronized pressure transducer and high-speed optical data were analyzed in both time and frequency domains to assess PSP phase lag and frequency response. The paint accurately tracked input frequencies up to approximately 2–3 kHz, beyond which optical and electronic noise dominated. Primary noise sources included excitation laser intensity modulation and camera sensor interference. Although high-frequency performance was constrained, the system successfully demonstrated low-frequency PSP response characterization and established a foundation for future high-speed testing with improved excitation stability, detector sensitivity, and pressure amplitude

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