Our Testing Facilities
GTRI operates a variety of leading-edge research facilities. We maintain nearly 892,000 square feet of laboratory and facility space supporting a wide range of research, as well as test and evaluation activities.
The Accessibility Evaluation Facility supports industry and government through the measurement of the ease of use of devices, services and packaging, the development of design solutions targeted at improving ease of use for all users, and research into the application of emerging technologies to universal design.
These unique and world-class facilities support programs that target noise problems in traditional aerospace systems, novel aerospace vehicle noise, and total system noise. The facilities are also home to leading-edge sensor development, acoustic liner development, UAV development, intelligent systems and test and evaluation of highly integrated systems where noise is a primary design constraint.
These facilities have been developed to work in concert with GTRI’s aerodynamic facilities. The test section of GTRI’s low speed wind tunnels allows the same test article to be installed in the flight simulation anechoic chamber. This provides a unique capability where aerodynamic performance can be mapped under the same conditions in which the acoustic performance is determined.
Facility Details and Capabilities
Anechoic Flight Simulation Laboratory. A free-jet wind tunnel housed within an anechoic chamber, this large facility allows GTRI researchers to examine a particular item — model-scale propeller, rotor, wing, heated jet engine or even an automobile component — under conditions simulating movement of up to 300 feet per second to determine if the object's forward motion produces changes in the observed noise. Researchers are thus able to measure and identify the source of the noise and develop ways to mitigate it. Measuring 14 x 14 x 20 feet, the room rests upon four massive springs and is physically isolated from the surrounding building. The facility is equipped with two heavy-duty doors, and the floor is constructed of wire mesh, rather than solid, sound-reflecting materials. So sensitive is the facility to sound that when researchers are making measurements, even the air conditioning system outside the facility is shut down.
Significant noise mitigation measures ensure low noise levels in the test section. The flight-simulating free jet exhausts into a collector, downstream of which are a diesel fan and an ejector jet that provide the flow stream. The 6-by-6-foot collector itself is completely lined with 8-inch-thick sound-absorbing foam. The collector duct is a sandwich-type structure filled with several tons of sand to eliminate the possibility of a flanking path for noise or vibration from outside the facility. There are no vibrations associated with the boundary layer developed on the duct wall or as the jet flow impinges on the turning vanes, which are themselves acoustically treated. Additionally, duct silencers located just upstream of the diesel fan and the ejector ensure that even with the ejector jet running supersonically, no jet noise escapes upstream into the test section.
Figure 1. Anechoic Flight Simulation facility with a propeller rig mounted in the flight simulating jet stream.
Static Jet Acoustic Test Facility. This 22 x 20 x 28-foot anechoic room is equipped to run model-scale jet engines while GTRI engineers measure the sound generated by the machines. The data they collect helps isolate the sources of particular sound frequencies, and enables them to develop quieter engine designs.
Figure 2. Research Engineer Steve Williams mounts a nozzle in the Static Jet Chamber. (Photo: Gary Meek)
Two independently controlled and heated air supply ducts allow for the measurement of both single and coannular jet noise. The facility is equipped with an acoustically lined exhaust collector, which ingests entrainment and room cooling air through the outer channel of a rectangular coaxial duct in quantities dictated by the jet operating conditions, with no special forced-air injection or fan system. After passing through an air gap between the concrete wall and false wall on the collector side of the room, this entrainment air is distributed symmetrically around the jet axis, thereby keeping the air flow circulation velocities in the room, particularly around the microphones, to a minimum.
Microphones may be placed anywhere in the room but at least 15 inches away from the wedge tips, so as to be beyond near field effects from the foam wedges. A remotely operated cherry-picker crane, which retracts under an anechoic cover during test procedures, provides access to instrumentation and test installations for calibration, test setup modifications and maintenance, thus avoiding the need for access platforms and their attendant sound-reflection problems.
Acoustic Sensors. Instruments in this category include condenser microphones, hearing devices, probe microphones and infrasound sensors. Techniques developed at GTRI allow the use of these sensors at high temperatures and in high-speed flows. The sensors can also educe acoustic signals buried in unrelated background noise, and may be used in conjunction with accelerometers and geophones. In addition, acoustic and seismic sensors allow active imaging of underground facilities.
Outdoor Sound-Level Meters. Long-term, continuous acoustic measurements are recorded with GTRI's suite of all-weather sound level meters. The devices have been employed in projects ranging from measuring neighborhood and airport noise to quantifying the sound levels inside nursing homes.
Impedance Tubes. GTRI maintains a number of these instruments, which are used to determine the sound-absorbing properties of various materials. These tubes are also used to calibrate acoustic sensors.
Sonic Boom Simulator. A high-amplitude sound generator specially built for GTRI produces 40,000 watts of acoustic power. This powerful, one-of-a-kind device has been used to produce sonic booms as well as to calibrate special wind screens for infrasound sensors, thereby eliminating the need for long and cumbersome soaker hoses previously used in the procedure. The broad sensitivity of the sensors can be configured to monitor a secure area by detecting the sounds made by people moving, or even the tremendous sound produced by tornadoes.
Beam-Forming Acoustic Array. Consisting of multiple acoustic sensors, this instrument aids in detecting the location of a given noise source.
Particle Imaging Velocimeter. This instrument measures the movement of particles in a fluid non-invasively as a way of determining the fluid's flow speed.
Hot-Jet-Flow Facility. Equipped with free jets and various nozzle configurations in a non-anechoic room, this facility provides flow visualization and flow diagnostic capabilities.
Computational Resources. GTRI is fully equipped with graphics workstations, real-time acquisition computers and dozens of desktop machines. Software includes ANSYS structural analysis programs; various aerodynamic codes; data processing, data base and statistical software; contour and spectra plotting programs; various noise prediction programs, including ANOPP; and free-jet shear-layer correction programs.
Other Equipment. Acoustics research at GTRI is supported by a number of amplifiers, signal generators, transducers to modify sound traveling through walls and windows, various traverses, A/D converters, spectrum analyzers (including a 24-channel spectrum analyzer with an 80 kHz bandwidth), hot wires, frequency analyzers, high-temperature nozzles, a two-microphone impedance tube, a flow-duct facility for impedance measurements in the presence of cold and heated flows, and an elliptical mirror for locating sound sources.
Microphones on hand include Brüel and Kjær one-inch, half-inch and quarter-inch models; infinity tubes and probe microphones; miniature Knowls microphones; and Kulite transducers equipped with water jackets for heated flows. Also, a high-speed camera, capable of 7,500 frames per second at 720p resolution and up to 1 million frames per second at reduced resolutions, is available for flow visualization studies and similar tasks. Additional acoustic diagnostic tools provide for flow visualization and velocity fluid determination with PIV and helium bubble flow visualization.
Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Laboratories
This facility boasts 11,500 sq. ft. of laboratory space devoted to analytical and environmental chemistry, specifically integrated optic device testing, characterization and surface chemistry preparation, and the assembly and testing of integrated optic and integrated optical waveguide biological/chemical sensors. These laboratories include exhaust hoods and containment chambers designed to handle hazardous vapors and chemicals. Wet chemistry laboratories consist of two rooms with approximately 1500 sq. ft. of space suitable for synthesis, analytical chemistry and spectroscopic analysis.
In 2011, GTRI opened a new compact range that will be used for radar cross section measurements and antenna testing. The new facility, which is shielded against electromagnetic interference, will be used for GTRI’s defense-related research projects and collaborations with outside companies. Located at GTRI’s midtown Atlanta campus, the new range is 18 feet high, 24 feet wide and 60 feet long, with a 10-foot by 12-foot door for bringing in devices to be tested. The facility has a test zone that is approximately six feet wide, four feet tall and six feet deep. It can test at frequencies ranging from two gigahertz (GHz) to 100 gigahertz, and that range can be extended down to 800 megahertz (MHz). The facility is completely surrounded by metal walls and doors designed to keep out electromagnetic energy from a broad range of sources. The compact range concept was invented at GTRI in the 1960s by researcher Richard Johnson.
Computational Facilities
The Center for Optimization of Simulated Multiple Object Systems (COSMOS) includes 500 computer cores for engagement simulations of UV/VIS/IR threats, signatures, and self-protection systems. Uses the GTSIMS multiplayer simulation architecture for threat and countermeasure simulation and biologically-inspired optimization.
EMTEF is a multi-purpose, wideband, electromagnetic test facility that can test virtually every antenna, from cellular to satellite. EMTEF is comprised of several test ranges and laboratories that allow our customers to perform a large spectrum of tests and evaluations through one central facility.
In operation since 1977, the ERC performs research, service, and student training in radiological monitoring of the environment. As a service, the laboratory performs analyses for very low levels of environmental radioactivity. The Laboratory processes over 1000 samples per year for Safe Drinking Water compliance testing. These ongoing projects provide trained professionals and state-of-the-art radiation detection instruments that support the research and training.
GTRI’s state-of-the-art Food Processing Technology Building is a world-class center for academic research, prototype systems and technology development, and public interaction.
Facility Details and Capabilities
The building features five research laboratories:
- A state-of-the-art automation research laboratory equipped for studying robotics, computer vision, ergonomics, and process control.
- An electronics lab for construction, repair, and analysis of electronics systems and constructing board-level hardware components.
- A systems development and integration laboratory for design and development of specialized computer software along with the design and integration of prototype systems.
- An environmental laboratory equipped with full chemical and biological analysis capabilities.
- An optics laboratory that contains high-precision equipment for evaluating and designing imaging systems and characterizing illumination effects.
In addition, the building houses a 4,370-square-foot reconfigurable high bay testing and fabrication area with overhead crane and tractor trailer access; a machine shop with equipment to assemble and fabricate prototype parts; a 16-foot x 24-foot climate control chamber for conducting experiments and testing/evaluating equipment performance under a variety of real-world environmental conditions; a full-service chemical wetlab; and an indoor environmental pilot area.
While serving as the cornerstone for multidisciplinary research and development, the building is also an educational facility for public interaction. As such, it contains a 48-seat auditorium, a large conference room for industrial and organizational meetings and events, and an interactive lower lobby exhibit highlighting the growing role technology is playing in food and poultry processing operations.
Analytical Equipment
A variety of analytical equipment is available, ranging from gas and liquid chromatographs and mass spectrometers to elemental analyzers and analytical calorimeters to other standard aqueous chemistry laboratory instruments. A bio-safety level 2 hood is also available.
The GTRI Conference Center is the perfect venue for federal, state, university and professional society events. It is also available to select nonprofit organizations. The facility is home to more than 300 events each year. With over 10,000 square feet of prime event space, it is the ideal place for small to mid-sized events.
High Power Laboratory Facility
This facility is one of the best-equipped in the country dedicated to the characterization, development, and testing of power electronic components, assemblies, systems, and effects at voltages up to 100 kV and peak power levels up to 10 MW. The facility offers liquid cooling, multi-voltage, multi-frequency prime power, state-of-the-art power systems analyzers and a wide array of instrumentation.
Facility Details and Capabilities
The High Power Laboratory is equipped with a variety of 3 phase, 208/120 VAC 60 Hz, 3 phase, 208/120 VAC, 400 Hz, and 3 phase, 480/277 V, 60 Hz controlled prime power sources that are permanently distributed within the laboratory. Frequency converters are available to produce 50 Hz power when required. The facility is equipped with a variety of medium- and high-voltage power supplies capable of operating from 8 to 100,000 VDC at currents as high as 900 A.
This facility has a high-capacity liquid cooling system capable of delivering large quantities of DI water at pressures up to 125 PSIG and proportionally controlled temperatures up to 90 °C. Process water is also available for less demanding tests.
The facility contains two permanent test stations, shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 that are used for operating common high-power devices. Test stations for other devices can be constructed using the facility's extensive stock of high-power and microwave components, test fixtures, and instrumentation.
Figure 1. Linear Beam Test Set
Figure 2. Test Station Shown Configured to Simulate a Directed Energy Attack
Microwave test equipment, included synthesized signal sources, spectrum analyzers, digitizing peak-power meters capable of generating intra pulse power profiles, low-noise phase bridges, CW and pulsed frequency counters capable of intra pulse frequency profiling, and network analyzers are available to support any type of high power microwave tests. High speed digital and intensified analog oscilloscopes are available for viewing narrow pulses at low PRIs and high-speed transients in the sub-nanosecond range. Multiple time interval analyzers and high-speed digital oscilloscopes are used to perform timing and jitter measurements. The facility also contains a number of digital average power meters and a microprocessor-controlled calorimetric power meters that are capable of making very precise average power measurements. All instrumentation is calibrated by GTRI’s Instrumentation and Calibration lab to standards traceable to NIST. The laboratory also utilizes a hybrid test cell to facilitate the simulation of “open air testing” as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Faraday-Screened Test Cell in Use to Simulate Open Air Testing of Devices and Effects
Human Systems Engineering Facilities
GTRI's Human Systems Engineering facilities support a wide variety of human performance research and human factors testing and evaluation activities and include the Accessibility Evaluation Facility, Usability Testing Facility, Mini CoVE (in development), Cockpit Prototyping Facility, C4I Simulator and Virtual Auditory Displays Laboratory.
Facility Details and Capabilities
Accessibility Evaluation Facility
The Accessibility Evaluation Facility supports industry and government through the measurement of the ease of use of devices, services and packaging, the development of design solutions targeted at improving ease of use for all users, and research into the application of emerging technologies to universal design.
Usability Testing Facility
The Usability Testing Facility supports traditional hardware and software usability evaluations as well as more detailed user experience evaluations. The facility can be configured to approximate a home or office environment to add contextual cues important for the validity of the evaluations. Human performance data, evaluator notes, and video recordings are integrated into a single data package to facilitate the ease of later analysis.
Mini CoVE – currently under development
Once completed, the Mini Collaborative Visualization Environment (Mini CoVE) will facilitate the collaboration of small teams of researchers and scientists that gather to address research and design problems that require the visualization of complex data sets or the simultaneous consideration of multiple aspects of a problem. The environment consists of a rapidly configurable visual and auditory environment that features innovative user interface elements and large, high resolution displays.
Cockpit Prototyping Facility
The cockpit prototyping facility supports both design and evaluation activities for both rotary wing and fixed wing projects. The facility allows the rapid production of a simulated environment at the appropriate fidelity to support human performance research. The facility is an important design and risk reduction asset on a number of cockpit design projects.
C4I Simulator
The C4I Simulator can be reconfigured to support research in command center design, human decision making, workflow, and team dynamics. Recently, the simulator has been used to research complex human performance topics ranging from the design of effective traffic management centers to the issues surrounding distributed decision making and the influence of bias in the decision making process.
Virtual Auditory Displays Laboratory
The Virtual Auditory Displays Laboratory consists of a semi-anechoic chamber and a complex array of matched speakers. The laboratory is used to research audio perception and attention, the presentation of 3-D audio over headphones, and the use of complex auditory streams to replace or augment visual displays.
Landmarc Research Center
This research facility includes mobile and wireless technology development facilities focusing on RIM/Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Symbian OS, Mac OSX. Available hardware includes head-mounted display technology, smartphones, PDAs, and handheld video game devices with WIFI, Bluetooth, and RFID connectivity.
LIDAR Laboratories
GTRI is home to four LIDAR laboratories, with a total of 1600 square feet of floor space. Two of the labs have electrically-operated roof hatches that provide a view of the zenith sky. The labs are fully equipped and house several lasers, telescopes, detectors, and data systems that are used in prototype lidar systems. One lab houses an operational ozone and aerosol lidar known as NEXLASER.
Low and High Speed Wind Tunnels
In these specialized facilities, used for advanced aerodynamics and flow control research, GTRI
experts push the limits of their research and provide baseline and conceptual aerodynamics and propulsion data as inputs to various simulations, design processes, and performance evaluations for government and industry sponsors.
Facility Details and Capabilities
The Compressible Flow (High Speed) Wind Tunnel is a transonic/supersonic research tunnel which can be run at Mach numbers from 0.2 to 2.0 for high-speed testing of wings, airfoils, aircraft, and projectiles.
The Model Test Facility and Experimental Research Facility are low speed wind tunnels essential to record aerodynamic and propulsive forces and moments, plus static and dynamic pressures on models, as well as to conduct detailed flow visualization and quantitative particle imaging velocimetry, which enables understanding of the detailed flow field and flow physics.
These facilities can also be used to evaluate/develop both airfoils or wings plus aircraft, UAV and projectile models. They can also be specially configured for evaluation of in-ground-effect automotive or boat models, including trucks, commercial cars, high-speed race cars, and racing boats.
Machine Services designs, fabricates, assembles, repairs and modifies individual parts or entire mechanical devices used for research projects or other needs. More than 90 tools and four types of PC programming/design software are at our disposal to complete each job.
Materials Analysis Center (MAC)
MAC includes 3,100 sq. ft. of secure laboratory space used for chemical and materials processing and analytical/materials testing. The MAC has numerous instruments and equipment to facilitate quantitative and qualitative materials analysis.
Facility Details and Capabilities
MAC tools and equipment include:
- A high resolution (2 nm) field emission Hitachi S4100 scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with a Noran thin window light element energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDS), and modern quantitative software with full-color display to enable elemental mapping and other analysis functions. The Hitachi SEM also contains a TV speed four-quadrant backscatter electron (BSE) detector and houses a custom-built conductivity probe.
- An Acton MS-64 Microprobe with two x-ray wavelength spectrometers
- Dionex High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC)
- Rigaku D/Max-11B microprocessor controlled automated x-ray powder diffraction (XRD) system
- Mattson Sirus 100 Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer with a range from 0.35 to 20μm
- Seiko Instruments Simultaneous TG/DTA 320
- DuPont 9900 DSC, TMS, DMA
- Seiko TG/DTA Gas Transfer system for evolved gas analysis by FTIR
- A customized instrument for measuring BRDF of materials in the visible spectral region
- Two Lietz metallographs
- Wilson Hardness and Microhardness testers
- Denton DV-502 vacuum evaporation chamber
- Thermal aging chamber
- Hummer VI Sputter Coater
- Reichart and Sorval microtomes
- Laminar flow and regular chemical hoods
- Struers Tenupol electrolytic jet-thinning device
- Gatan ion mill with cold-stage
- Dark-room and printing facilities
- Metallograhic preparation lab
- Complete machine shop facilities with enumerable support equipment and specialized attachments
Electromagnetic emissions from security and logistical technologies that surround us can produce potential interference with implanted and externally worn medical devices. GTRI's Medical Device Test Center simulates real-world exposure to these technologies to identify interactions and help manufacturers improve compatibility.
Microsystems Technology Cleanroom
This 3000 sq. ft. class 10/100 cleanroom facility supports advanced research in microelectronics and nanotechnologies. The entire facility is secure and is certified to conduct sensitive research.
Facility Details and Capabilities
The Microsystems technology Cleanroom accommodates metal and low temperature dielectric deposition, sputtering, thermal/e-beam evaporation, low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), patterning and contact lithography to 0.6μm, wet etching, Equipment is available to perform sub-micron lithography on substrates up to 3". Adjacent laboratories house - state-of-the-art ion assisted deposition (IAD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) systems for novel thin film deposition. The Microsystems Technology Clearoom facilityalso supports microelectronic assembly for prototyping, dicing, die-attach and wire bonding.
Nanotechnology Laboratory
GTRI is home to over 2,000 sq feet of laboratory space dedicated to carbon nanotube (CNT) production and research.
Facility Details and Capabilities
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Chamber
The furnace allows for precise and accurate control with fully programmable feedback loops and thermocouples placed throughout the process tube. The short gas paths ensure minimal hysteresis and maximum process control. The furnace automatically logs gas flow and thermocouple data for expedited process analysis.
Dionex HPLC System
Consisting of a degas module, gradient pump, wavelength detector, a liquid chromatography module, a pulsed AM-perometric analyzer and a Varex evaporative light scattering detector. This system is controlled by AI-450 Peaknet software which allows the research team to plot and calibrate curves after acquiring and processing the data.
Advanced digital imaging station
The Olympus SZ40 series zoom stereo microscope with illuminator base offers a working distance of 110mm and an extended zoom range for continuous coverage of magnification from 6.7X to 40X. The imaging station also features an Olympus PM-10AD microscope system (50X, 100X, 200X, 500X and 1000X), which has a built-in microcomputer control and a Silicon Blue Cell (SBC) photo sensor with improved sensitivity and a real-time light measuring system. Other diverse functions of this system include panoramic photomicrography with a simple, precise color temperature measurement system, and a high intensity fiber optic illuminator. The imaging also features an Auto Exposure (AE) lock with Polaroid land film, 35mm, 16mm and digital camera compatibility.
Phosphor Technology Center of Excellence (PTCOE)
Since its inception PTCOE has been involved in the growth, synthesis and characterization of phosphor materials and thin-film structures for all types of display applications such as photoluminescent LCDs, field emission displays, cathode ray tubes, plasma display panels, and electroluminescent displays. The Phosphor Center at EOSL offers an extensive set of modeling, physical, optical, electrical and cathodoluminescent characterization capabilities.
Facility Details and Capabilities
Facilities exist to perform optical characterization from continuous wave (CW) to short pulse (600ps) with excitation from 115nm to 3000nm at 1.6 to 350K. Detection capabilities range from vacuum ultra violet (VUV) to longwave infrared (LWIR) and direct current (DC) to 10GHz. Electrical characterization techniques include: Hall effect, plasma coupled device (PCD), charge deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), capacitance-voltage (C-V), charge-voltage (Q-V) and current-voltage (IV). Some methods used by PTCOE for display screen fabrication are printing, slurry and sedimentation. Equipment includes comprehensive field emission device (FED), electro-luminescent (EL) and plasma display phosphor measurement and characterization facilities that include luminance, chromaticity, efficiency, etc, and synthesis furnaces with capabilities to 2,000°C with inert and reactive atmospheres.
GTRI researchers address some of the nation’s most pressing problems. In June 2007, GTRI launched SCoVE—a unique environment where systems engineers, analysts and decision makers can discuss sensitive projects and view all the information associated with solutions in a highly comprehensible way.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Laboratory
GTRI’s UAV laboratory consists of work spaces for the fabrication of
small UAVs, UAV system
components and sensor integration. It also serves as the location for
fabrication of various test configurations for use in the GTRI’s other
Aerospace Research Facilities. Many of the models and UAVs constructed
in this laboratory are tested either in GTRI facilities or field tested
at remote sites.
