Flow Control on a High Lift Airfoil Using High-Bandwidth Microactuators

High-lift airfoils employ trailing edge flaps during takeoff and landing and are stowed during the cruise. These airfoils enhance the lift characteristics at subsonic speeds but suffer due to flow separation over the deflected flap surface. During cruise at transonic speeds, the shock induced separation results in drag penalty and structural fatigue. Traditionally, high-lift airfoils employ multi-element flaps to eliminate flow separation during takeoff and landing but at the cost of increased mechanical complexity and aircraft weight. Active flow control (AFC) has the potential to mitigate flow separation and enhance performance. The objective of proposed study is to design, develop, validate and implement a closed-loop, high-bandwidth active flow control technique. The technique will be based on high-momentum, resonance-enhanced unsteady microjet actuators and implemented on an NASA-EET high-lift airfoil configuration. Under the proposed program we bring a team of experts with the requisite knowledge and tools needed for successful development and implementation. We will deign and build a high-lift airfoil to suit the FSU polysonic wind tunnel for testing at high subsonic and transonic speeds (Mach 0.3 - 0.9). We will implement and demonstrate the applicability of Adaptive Sampling-Based Model Predictive Control (SBMPC) to control flow separation. More »