SUBSONIC AERODYNAMICS AND PERFORMANCE OF A SMART VORTEX GENERATOR SYSTEM

A new system for active how control using smart vortex generators (SVG ) is presented. Increments in C-l max from modern vortex generators (V Gs) are determined through wind-tunnel testing on a two-dimensional wi ng section. Using an optimized VG configuration, a system was built wi th 1) a shear-flow sensor that detected the onset and depth of stall, 2) a series of shape-memory-alloy VGs, and 3) a lift-to-drag (L/D) max imizing controller. The system demonstrated a 14% increase in C-l max, a 2.7-deg rise in alpha(stall) a 42% jump in L/D through the stall, a nd a low alpha C-d0 penalty of less than 0.1%. Further testing demonst rated that the system consumed only 9.2 W of power, responded in less than 0.8 s, and was capable of unstalling an airfoil that had exceeded alpha(stall) by up to 3 deg.