Synthetic Jet Actuation - Modeling, Actuator Development and Application to Separation Control

摘要

This work presents an investigation of synthetic jet actuation for separation control over wings/airfoils, in steady and unsteady flows, the development of high-power, compact synthetic jet actuators (SJA) for flow separation control, the modeling and control of such actuators and the modeling and control of the resulting SJA-controlled aerodynamics and wing/airfoil, respectively. The developed actuator is compact enough to fit in the interior of a NACAOOl5 profiled wing with a chord of 0.375 m. Test bench experiments showed that the multi-piston actuator array was capable of producing exit velocities of up to 90 rn/s for an actuator frequency of 130 Hz. The actuator was placed in a NACA 0015 wing and tested in a wind tunnel. An experimental investigation into the effects of a synthetic jet actuator on the performance of the wing, in steady flow, is described. Emphasis is placed on the capabilities of the actuator to control the separation of the flow over the wing at high angles of attack. The investigation included the use of force balance measurements, on - surface flow visualization with oil and tufts, off-surface flow visualizations with smoke, surface pressure distribution measurements and wake surveys.