This paper investigates the application of a periodically deforming airfoil surface for the purpose of flow control at low Reynolds numbers. A physical model has been fabricated by bonding Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) actuators to the underside of a NACA 4415 airfoil's suction surface. The results presented build on earlier work by Jones et al. First, the behavior of the surface when actuated at a range frequencies is investigated through a combination of photogrammetric and laser sensor measurements. Second, the aerodynamic performance of this novel flow control technique is presented. It is shown that when the shear layer frequency 'locks-in' to the surface motion significant improvements in performance are observed in a flight regime notorious for poor airfoil behavior.
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