Buffet Control of the F-22 Using an Enhanced Distributed Actuation System

Unsteady buffet forces excite the vertical tails of aircraft flying at high angles of attack and cause excessive stress and vibration in the tail structure. This results in increased fatigue which ultimately reduces aircraft life. It has been shown by ACX that distributed piezoceramics can significantly reduce the buffet loads on the tail structure of an F/A-18. ACX proposes to develop a similar buffet suppression system for the F-22 aircraft. Additionally, enhancements can be made to the component hardware that will benefit both the F/A-18 and F-22 buffet load alleviation systems. These enhancements can benefit any distributed piezoceramic actuation system used in many applications from automobiles to aircraft. Furthermore, these enhancements are required for this technology to be used in aerospace applications where weight, size, and power consumption are critical to performance. ACX proposes to investigate two identified technologies which will help lead towards a realization of a flght ready system. The first is the development of an enhanced strain actuator which uses higher electromechanical coupling coefficients to produce more actuation force for a given actuator mass.