Method and apparatus for surface pressure mapping of rotating objects by synchronized optical imaging of luminescent coating

A method of surface pressure mapping rotating objects, comprising;

• a) providing an object having an outer surface and applying to said outer surface a pressure sensitive photoluminescent coating;
• b) rotating said object at a preselected rotational velocity and directing a train of light pulses from a light source at the rotating object, said light pulses being synchronized to said rotational velocity of said object, said light pulses being of a first wavelength;
• c) filtering photoluminescent light emitted from said pressure sensitive photoluminescent coating on said rotating object to filter out light of said first wavelength, detecting and storing the filtered photoluminescent light and converting said filtered photoluminescent light into a first image;
• and
• d) providing a second photoluminescent image of said object measured when said object is stationary and ratioing the second image of the object when stationary to said first image of the rotating object, and converting said ratio into a pressure distribution over the surface of said rotating object.

An system for measurement of surface pressure of an object being rotated, comprising;

• a) a photoluminescent pressure sensitive coating material adapted to be coated onto a surface of said object to be rotated;
• b) light source adapted to emitting a train of light pulses directed at said object, said light source including means for synchronizing said light source to rotation of said object, said light source adapted to emitting light at a first wavelength;
• c) photodetection means adapted to detect photoluminescent light intensity emitted from a photoluminescent pressure sensitive material;
• and
• d) processing means for storing and processing photoluminescent light intensity to convert photoluminescent light intensity into a pressure distribution over a surface of a rotating object.