초록 ▼

Passive removal of suction air for producing a laminar flow, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. One such method includes forming a laminar flow region over an external surface of an aircraft by drawing air through the external surface and into a plenum. The method can further include

Passive removal of suction air for producing a laminar flow, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. One such method includes forming a laminar flow region over an external surface of an aircraft by drawing air through the external surface and into a plenum. The method can further include passively directing the air from the plenum overboard the aircraft. For example, the air can be passively directed to a region external to the aircraft having a static pressure lower than a static pressure in the plenum, as a result of the motion of the aircraft. Flows from different sections of the external surface can be combined in a common plenum, and the corresponding massflow rates can be controlled by the local porosity of the external surface.

대표청구항 ▼

I claim: 1. A method for controlling aircraft external flow, comprising:forming a laminar flow region over an external surface of an aircraft by drawing air through the external surface into a plenum, wherein drawing air through the external surface into the plenum includes:drawing a first portion o

I claim: 1. A method for controlling aircraft external flow, comprising:forming a laminar flow region over an external surface of an aircraft by drawing air through the external surface into a plenum, wherein drawing air through the external surface into the plenum includes:drawing a first portion of the air through a first section of the external surface having a first porosity;drawing a second portion of the air through a second section of the external surface having a second porosity different than the first porosity; andcollecting the first and second portions of air in a common plenum; andpassively directing the air from the plenum overboard the aircraft, wherein passively directing the air from the plenum includes:directing the air from the plenum through an exit opening via a pressure difference between a region interior to the plenum and a region exterior to the exit opening, the pressure difference resulting from motion of the aircraft; andcontrolling the amount of air drawn through the external surface by controlling an area of the exit opening.