Advanced Flow Control Actuators for Fuselage Drag Reduction

Virtual Aerosurface Technologies, Inc. proposes an SBIR program for the adaptation of combustion powered actuation (COMPACT) flow control devices to the task of fuselage drag reduction on rotorcraft. COMPACT uses a small-scale combustion process to produce high velocity pulsed jets for flow control applications and has previously demonstrated strong control authority for reattachment of separated flows. The COMPACT actuators will be used in conjunction with MEMS-based wireless pressure sensors developed at Georgia Tech to form the basis for a complete closed-loop system for flow control. This approach will have the significant advantage of utilizing components for actuation and sensing which will have no moving components exposed to the external environment, thus increasing reliability and endurance under harsh operating environments. Phase I of the program will focus on testing the actuators and sensors under harsh environmental conditions, including developing test cells for and quantifying the effects of rain, dust, ice, external sound pressure levels, and vibration. A Phase I Option would develop new prototypes where necessary to mitigate the environmental effects observed and to provide an initial design and test of the actuator/sensor closed-loop control. Finally, Phase II would focus on integration of the system into a full-scale helicopter fuselage structure.