Active Flow Control System for Commercial Aircraft Using Synthetic Jet

In order to enable widespread application of Active Flow Control (AFC) technology on commercial aircraft, Actasys, Inc. (Actasys), in collaboration with The Center for Advanced of Multifunctional Material Systems at University of California, Los Angeles (CAMMS-UCLA) , The University of Michigan (UMich), and The Boeing Company (Boeing) intend to build upon the foundational work implemented in phase I to develop and prepare for flight tests a module containing an array of Synthetic Jet Actuators (SJA). Over a period of 18 months, the project will be divided into two parts. The first part will be dedicated primarily to improving actuator power output as well as preparing a module prototype. In order to achieve the required SJA performance levels, system properties, and functionality as determined by Boeing, the team shall use the computational approach developed in phase I coupled with investigations into new active materials. In the second part, Actasys and Boeing shall collaborate on testing the prototype in order to determine flight test readiness. Actasys’ post Phase II plans include testing SJA module performance on a Boeing 757 commercial aircraft to demonstrate targeted aerodynamic impact and fuel efficiency.