Piezoelectric actuators for flow control of airfoils

• Grant number: 10/20800-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2011
• End date: March 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Aerospace Engineering - Aerodynamics
• Principal Investigator: Carlos de Marqui Junior
• Grantee: Danilo Sartori Alarcon
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Flow control can contribute for flow separation delay or for forced attachment of separated flow in airfoils. Periodic excitation to the flow is one of the available techniques to reduce separation. In this work the periodic excitation will be induced by Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) actuated clamped-free unimorph benders positioned on the surface of an airfoil. It is shown in the literature that the optimum excitation frequency is related to geometric characteristics of the system (wing and actuators) as well as to the flow. The electromechanical actuators (electromechanically coupled benders) will be designed in order to improve the overall performance of the system. Therefore, the resonance frequency of the first bending mode of the benders will be as close as possible to the optimum excitation frequency for flow control. First, the electromechanical behavior of the benders will be investigated using an electromechanically coupled finite element model. Later, each bender will be experimentally verified. The effect of the flow control technique proposed here over the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil will be investigated in wind tunnel tests.