Electrogasdynamic laminar flow control on a swept wing

Abstract

The possibility of laminar flow control on a swept wing was theoretically estimated. Calculations of a 3D-compressible boundary layer on an infinite-span swept wing, including a simulation of the volumetric force and heat impact of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuators, were performed. The linear stability of the boundary-layer flow with respect to the stationary modes of the cross-flow-type instability was considered. The position of the laminar-to-turbulent transition was estimated using the eN method. Ultimate assessments of the actuator impact necessary for laminar-to-turbulent transition delay were performed for free-stream parameters corresponding to typical cruise flight conditions of subsonic civil airplanes. A simple new design for a multiple-DBD actuator intended for flow control in a thin boundary layer on a lengthy surface was proposed and studied via parametric experiments.