MEASUREMENT OF ELECTRIC CHARGES NEAR BODIES UNDER CONDITIONS OF HYPERSONIC MOTION

Results are described of systematic experimental investigations of electric charges in models and in wakes behind these models under conditions of supersonic motion in air-xenon mixtures for Mach numbers of M = 10 - 13. Measurements were performed in ballistic facilities using highly sensitive electrostatic sensors to yield data on the magnitude of electric charges on bodies and in the wake behind them for materials of different thermal properties for a wide range of pressures in forward flow and Mach numbers, as well as for different gas compositions and different mechanisms of destruction of the bodies. Physical models of the effects observed in the experiments are discussed. The results of this study may help interpret the electrical phenomena accompanying the supersonic motion of bodies in the atmosphere.