초록 ▼

Systems and methods for controlling air vehicle boundary layer airflow are disclosed. Representative methods can include applying electrical energy bursts and/or other energy bursts in nanosecond pulses in the boundary layer along a surface of an air vehicle. In a particular embodiment, electrical e

Systems and methods for controlling air vehicle boundary layer airflow are disclosed. Representative methods can include applying electrical energy bursts and/or other energy bursts in nanosecond pulses in the boundary layer along a surface of an air vehicle. In a particular embodiment, electrical energy is discharged into the boundary layer to reduce the tendency for the boundary layer to separate and/or to reduce the tendency for the boundary layer to transition from laminar flow to turbulent flow. In other embodiments, energy can be discharged via pulses having a pulse width of about 100 nanoseconds or less, and an amplitude of about 10,000 volts or more. Actuators discharging the energy can be arranged in a two-dimensional ray of individually addressable actuators. Energy can be delivered to the boundary layer via a laser emitter, and energy can be received in a receiver after having transited over at least a portion of the airflow surface. In another embodiment, high energy electrons can be injected into the boundary layer using a hollow cathode array at the airflow surface. In still another embodiment, energy can be introduced at the surface of the air vehicle at a rate sufficient to heat the flow and cause shock waves to propagate into the flow.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method for controlling air vehicle airflow, comprising: forming a boundary layer on a surface of an air vehicle; andactivating different individually addressable actuators in different manners, the individually addressable actuators being arranged in a two-dimensional array at the surface, wher

1. A method for controlling air vehicle airflow, comprising: forming a boundary layer on a surface of an air vehicle; andactivating different individually addressable actuators in different manners, the individually addressable actuators being arranged in a two-dimensional array at the surface, wherein activating the individually addressable actuators in different manners includes sequentially pulsing the actuators in a generally streamwise direction to cause shock waves from individual actuators to coalesce and increase boundary layer mixing to reduce a tendency for the boundary layer to separate. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein reducing a tendency for the boundary layer to separate includes discharging pulses of electrical energy into the boundary layer, the pulses having a pulse width of about 100 nanoseconds or less, and an amplitude of about 10,000 volts or more. 3. The method of claim 1 wherein activating different individually addressable actuators includes activating different plasma actuators. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein activating different individually addressable actuators includes activating different hollow cathode actuators. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting a characteristic of the boundary layer passing along the surface; andactivating individual actuators based at least in part on the detected characteristic. 6. The method of claim 5 wherein detecting a characteristic includes detecting at least one of flow separation and incipient flow separation. 7. The method of claim 5 wherein detecting a characteristic includes detecting at least one of laminar flow and turbulent flow.