Plasma Flow Control for Munition Maneuvering

Orbital Research, Inc. and The University of Notre Dame will collaborate to design, develop, and demonstrate a 'weakly-ionized plasma flow control' technology to enhance the aerodynamic control and maneuvering capabilities of long-range, long-loiter, low-to-high subsonic munitions. This flow control system will enhance the control-and-loiter capabilities of munitions both inside and outside their traditional flight envelope, as well as assist them in rapid mode interchangeability from a long-loiter configuration to a highly maneuverable attack mode, as dictated by the mission requirements. Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of a plasma flow control system on a wing model of a Powered Low Cost Autonomous Attack Submunition (PLOCAAS). Phase I efforts will include: (i) mathematical modeling of plasma actuators using an incompressible Euler code to identify optimal locations of plasma actuators on the wing surface, and (ii) exploratory wind tunnel experiments at subsonic flow conditions to characterize, optimize, and demonstrate the performance of plasma actuators for enhanced control authority and control flexibility. Wind tunnel experiments will focus on optimization of the actuator parameters and configuration such as location, dielectric materials, arrangement, a.c. amplitude and unsteady forcing frequency. Phase I will also examine and validate scaling models for amplitude and frequency requirements of the actuator for subsonic speed applications, as well as the control system performance in both open- and closed-loop mode.