96-year-old wind tunnel pioneer honoured
Engineering scholar Yu Hongru hailed as ‘hidden dragon’ for hypersonic research
A 96-year-old Chinese aerospace engineer has been honoured as one of the country’s people of the year at an awards ceremony hosted by state broadcaster CCTV.
Yu Hongru’s achievements include heading the team that build the first shock wind tunnel to test hypersonic aircraft and, most recently, the most powerful testing facility of its kind on the planet, the JF-22, which can reproduce flight conditions at an altitude of 40km to 100km and about 30 times the speed of sound.
CCTV’s award citation at the Touching China 2023 gala described Yu as a “hidden dragon” who took on tasks others would not or could not undertake.
The technology has been used to develop key projects such as the Dongfeng ballistic missile series and Shenzhou spacecraft, with Yu telling the event: “The missiles that pass by Tiananmen Square [on National Day], and all aerospace aircraft have something to do with our research.”
The awards citation also praised Yu for his innovative approach to the development of hypersonic wind tunnels.
His given name, Hongru, means a scholar of profound knowledge. He joined the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1958, two years after its establishment. This came at a time when the Soviet Union had launched its first intercontinental missile and launched Sputnik 1, the first satellite to orbit the Earth.
“We believed that completing this research would be beneficial for the country,” Yu said.
One hallmark of Yu’s career has been a drive to minimise costs, even if it means taking risks. When developing shock tubes – the core component of a shock wind tunnel – he continued to use a propulsion method powered by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen that other countries had abandoned because of the risk of explosions.
“Opposition might indicate mediocrity,” Yu said. “This road was abandoned by foreigners, but I think there is hope. We have the ability to control risk so that no one was injured or killed in the research.”
In 1958, Yu developed China’s first shock tube, and 11 years later, he produced the JF-8 large shock wind tunnel, matching global standards at a fraction of the cost.
“Back then, the country was so poor; how could we justify spending more? To excel in this work, one must know how to save money. Even now, when the country is wealthier, we should maintain this approach instead of always asking for more funds,” Yu told the awards ceremony.
Over the years, he has helped develop other systems that have been adopted internationally.
Yu, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, officially retired in 2017.