Precision Measurement Solutions

"IC2’s precision sensors are designed and optimized for the intended application space to provide the best possible performance while still being capable of being installed where and how required. We pay careful attention to performance and packaging requirements so that you can make the measurement you want, where you want it."

Even after almost 150 years of wind tunnel testing, no commercial product had ever been able to directly measure the localized force that passing air exerts on the surface of a vehicle model—until now. Known in the industry as wall shear stress, or skin friction, the force is a major factor in a vehicle’s drag, affecting its fuel efficiency and aerodynamic performance. Thanks to two decades of research and engineering, Interdisciplinary Consulting Corporation (IC2) now has sensors that introduce the unprecedented capability to sense these forces directly.

“Previously, when we went out to Edwards Air Force Base for a series of flight tests, we used a large array with hundreds of sensors. We had about 15 miles of cabling to hook up all of them, and it took a crew of six people three days to set up and tear down,” he said (...) and if it rained, each sensor had to be covered to protect it from precipitation. Multiple semi-trucks hauled all of that equipment, along with power generators, racks of servers, and other equipment. By contrast, two IC2 staff arrived at Langley’s flight-test range driving a minivan with all the hardware needed to test the WirelessArray system.