Conventional airfoil Active Flow Control "virtual" maneuvering system

The current paper 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 two arrays of 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 altered in a desired controlled manner. Experiments performed on the IAI AR2 low Reynolds numbers airfoil, including baseline and AFC wind tunnel tests on the airfoil. In the final stage of the study two independent SaOB actuator arrays were installed inside the airfoil to constitute an alternative maneuvering system. It was found that the current system is capable to increase lift (as a "Virtual " flap system) and increase the drag while maintaining lift independently from zero lift to stall.