COUNTERFLOW THRUST VECTORING OF SUPERSONIC JETS

Fluidic thrust vector control is examined in a supersonic rectangular jet having a 4:1 aspect ratio and for jet stagnation temperatures betw een 300 and 670 g. Experiments conducted in a nominally ideally expand ed Mach 2 jet reveal that thrust can be continuously vectored up to at least 16 deg by creating a secondary counterflowing stream between th e primary jet and an adjacent curved surface, Thrust vector control us ing counterflow is shown to be effective in both cold and moderately h eated supersonic jets and to perform free of bistable or hysteretic ef fects, Measurements indicate that proportional thrust vector control c an be achieved with less than 4% thrust loss and requiring secondary m ass flow rates less than approximately 2% of the primary jet.