Capabilities & Experience

ViGYAN's capabilities are evident through our performance-based, task order, and commercial contracts. We provide a wide array of technical services to our clients, everything from specific engineering-project support, to information-technology assistance, to extensive testing in our own low-speed wind tunnel. Plus, we are experts in the educational and marketing arenas.

 

Within our core capabilities, we include such disciplines as:

 

  • Aerospace mechanical and electrical engineering

 

  • Aviation systems and technology

 

  • Wind tunnel testing, including data acquisition and control systems

 

  • Wind tunnel facility operations

 

  • Marketing and educational outreach and services

 

  • IT infrastructure and software development

 

  • Computer support, repair and technical assistance

Support Services

  • Our support services encompass a variety of technical areas.

 

Click on the links images or title text below to view more information about the specific service.

 

Aerospace Research

 

TetrUSS

 

Software Systems & Simulation

 

Aircraft aerodynamics research and analysis Included within this category are large-transport, fighter, general-aviation and hypersonic vehicles. We provide performance, stability and control, and handling qualities assessments and predictions.

Today, aircraft manufacturers are examining every component that goes into an aircraft, not just from an economic standpoint, but from the impact it will have on the environment. High on the list is determining the amount of noise aircraft generate, particularly that associated with take-off and landing. One tool that is available to help them predict noise levels from any given aircraft is Propulsion Airframe Aeroacoustics (PAA) analysis.

ViGYAN has developed several kinds of advanced CFD program suites and continues to support the use and development of these systems. We have established a CFD laboratory and training facility that is located at our Hampton, Virginia offices.

ViGYAN Low Speed Wind Tunnel
Marketing Services Support

 

Computer Support, Assistant & Repair

 

ViGYAN supplies a range of marketing services for NASA Langley business-development programs. Included among those are management of Langley's NAV Center, development of collateral materials, video-project management and a variety of services related to the creation, organization and staffing of NASA Langley exhibitions.

ViGYAN supplies a range of marketing services for NASA Langley business-development programs. Included among those are management of Langley's NAV Center, development of collateral materials, video-project management and a variety of services related to the creation, organization and staffing of NASA Langley exhibitions.

The ViGYAN Computer Technology Division provides a complete range of computer maintenance and repair services on site or at customer locations, including network design, installation and support, and system administration for desktop, high-end workstations, and servers. We also provide website development, e-commerce and hosting services. Our staff possesses a variety of high-end certifications, including those for Microsoft, Red Hat, Novell, Cisco and MacIntosh

Uncertainty Quantification

 

Working with Data Repeatability

"A measurement process is in a state of statistical control if the resulting observations from the process, when collected under any fixed experimental conditions within the scope of the a priori well-defined conditions of the measurement process, behave like random drawings from some fixed distribution with fixed location [mean] and fixed scale [standard deviation] parameters."

 

Belanger, Brian, Measurement Assurance Programs: Part I - Introduction, NBS SP 676-I, May 1984

Uncertainty Quantification for Simulation Databases

The Ares Uncertainty Quantification team at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is working to identify and quantify the uncertainties associated with wind tunnel measurements, CFD computations and other data products. The team's primary focus has been to robustly identify and quantify the errors associated with each component of the aerodynamic simulation database and combine the errors appropriately. 1-3 Properly combining uncertainties from numerous data sources results in more precise error bounds on the overall database thus assisting guidance and control engineers in the design of vehicle control laws.

Ambient air is drawn through an inlet cage lined with densely woven filter material, which also serves to suppress external wind disturbances. The flow passes through a screened honeycomb, a long settling chamber, three woven, seamless, anti-turbulence screens and, finally, a nine-to-one contraction, before being discharged into the test chamber as a highly uniform, rectangular, cross-section jet four feet in width and three feet in height.

 

After traversing a five-foot length, the jet is collected by a bell-mouthed diffuser, conveyed through the fan and exhausted to atmosphere. These flow-conditioning measures reduce the turbulence level at the model position to less than 0.1 percent. Sphere tests have established the turbulence factor to be under 1.05.

 

The walk-in test chamber surrounding the test jet is large enough to accommodate two or three observers, with ear protection the only requirement. The free-jet configuration allows instant access to the model and facilitates flow visualization and photography from a variety of viewpoints. Alternate wall configurations (e.g., solid, semi-open, ground board, etc.) can be readily installed for special test requirements.

 

 For models requiring changes in angle of attack or yaw angle, the model support mechanism allows the model attitude to be varied in the range of -10 to +90 degrees of pitch and -20 to +20 degrees of yaw, accurate to 0.1 degree. It features a closed-loop control system integrated with the data acquisition system for repeatable, efficient conduct of testing operations.

 

Instrumentation and Control

A robust instrumentation and control-system and a LabVIEW-based data acquisition system provide measurement and reduction of tunnel conditions, balance loads and other analog channels. This system is part of a control room network with workstations for customers to view, plot and process data immediately after each run, as well as allow access to previous runs, tests or customer-supplied comparison data.

 

Data-reduction procedures, instrumentation and balance wiring/connectors, and data formats are based on those widely used at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) to facilitate easy movement of models, balances, and data between ViGYAN and LaRC. Statistical process control procedures are also in place to monitor data quality in the facility; this information is provided to customers as it is available and analyzed.

 

 A fully equipped electronics and instrumentation laboratory is located in the facility to support testing and special requirements. The adjoining shop supports fabrication of most of the wood, sheet-metal and fiberglass models tested. It also provides model modification services to customer test hardware. In addition, ViGYAN has cooperative arrangements with specialized, high-precision model fabricators in the area.

 

Cost and Staff Support

The ViGYAN Wind Tunnel rate is reasonable and competitive, with a minimum occupancy of eight hours. The comprehensive price includes:

 

  • Tunnel operations

 

  • A full-time tunnel operator

 

  • A data acquisition system operator

 

  • Instrumentation/electronics support

 

  • Test engineer support as needed

 

Most tests will require some pre-test model setup and test preparation by the model technicians and/or electronics specialists. The cost of this (either by fixed amount or by actual hours) is normally quoted prior to the test and is based on the level of complexity of the test.

 

Additional (optional) support from ViGYAN staff can be provided at additional cost and includes the following:

A full-time test engineer to monitor tests, data, and preliminary results.

Full-time aerodynamicists or other researcher specialists to analyze results, recommend test and/or research direction, or provide more extensive post-test reporting.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) support before or after testing to assist in test program planning or data analysis.

Test engineering support for testing in other facilities.

Design and fabrication of test models, specialized electronics, or other test support hardware.

 

Tunnel charges and payments can be arranged by any of the following methods:

 

  • Advance payment by check or credit card

 

  • Company purchase orders

 

  • The NASA Langley TEAMS task order contract, NNL07AA00B.

 

  • Scheduling of the tunnel is done on a first-come, first-served basis as confirmed by advance payment, issuance of a purchase order, or issuance of a task. Scheduling in

advance is preferable and assures priority in meeting the customer's test objectives.

 

As noted earlier, we can also access NASA Langley Research Center wind tunnels through an existing Space Act Agreement.

 

  • Data quality engineer support

 

  • Post-test-data report, including data-quality analysis

 

  • Customer access to online reduced data engineering workstation

 

  • Electronic copies of data, photographs, test video and run logs