Active flow control maneuvering system

The current study is focused on unconventional ways to manipulate the forces and moments acting on an airfoil or a wing via Active Flow Control (AFC). The method relies on the use of AFC, a versatile tool for modifying flow fields. By the generation of unsteady vortices emanating from Suction and Oscillatory Blowing (SaOB) actuators, a partially or fully separated flow can be reattached or caused to be more severely separated. In this way, forces and moments acting on the wing can be dramatically altered. Experiments and simulations performed on an airfoil and a generic jet-in-cross-flow configuration are reported. The experiments included baseline wind tunnel tests on the chosen airfoil, reproduced with simulations. The simulations also included steady jet issuing from 95% chord on the lower surface. Steady and unsteady wall normal jets were tested on a simplified bench-top configuration. Good qualitative agreement was achieved between the two steady jet studies. A demonstration of the relative effectiveness of an oscillatory wall normal jet in deflecting the cross-flow was compared to its steady counterpart.