An optical-based technique using Pressure-Sensitive Paint(PSP) is a promising method to measure the distribution of surface pressure on an aerodynamic model. The static and dynamic characteristics of a fast-response PSP that is developed in the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)are analyzed and tested to serve as the basis for experiments on unsteady surface measurement using a fast-response PSP. Two calibration systems used for this study are set up to investigate the temperature dependency, response time, and resolution. A data processing method, used for dynamic data, is analyzed and selected carefully to determine the optimum signal. Results show that the fastresponse PSP can be used normally at temperatures from 25 ℃ to 80 ℃. The effect of temperature on the accuracy of the measurement must be considered when temperatures are beyond the temperature range of 30–40 ℃. The dynamic calibration device with a solenoid valve can achieve a pressure jump within a millisecond order. The resolution is determined by the signal-to-noise ratio of the photo-multiplier tube. Results of the measurement show that the response time of the PSP decreases with a large pressure variation, and the response time is below 0.016 s when the pressure variation is under 40 kPa.
