Dielectric barrier discharge flight control system through modulated boundary layer transition

摘要

An aerodynamic control system incorporates multiple Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) flow control actuators (36) adjacent a surface (24, 28) of an airborne vehicle (10) in a path of laminar boundary layer flow over the surface (22, 26). A control computer (86) receives a control input (87) and selectively distributes power to an activation array (88, 90) selected from the DBD flow control actuators for transition to a first operating condition tripping the laminar boundary layer at selected streamwise locations for turbulent flow. When the control computer removes the distributed power the DBD flow control actuators return to a second operating condition restoring the laminar boundary layer.