Full-Scale Tilt Rotor Download Reduction

• Main Author: Beck, Stephen
• Other Authors: Wygnanski, Israel
• Language: en
• Published: The University of Arizona. 2013
• Subjects: scaling; Aerospace Engineering; active flow control
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/293744

A large-scale model of a tiltrotor wing and flap was built and tested to determine how the size and spacing of fluidic actuators for active flow control should be scaled up from laboratory size models to aircraft size. Flow control was provided by sweeping jet actuators mounted in the flap follower. Chordwise pressure data was collected through pressure taps located along the model centerline. The maximum flap deflection to which the flow could be attached with actuation was compared to previous experiments on a 10% 3D model. An ideal actuator spacing was found and the momentum coefficient was comparable between the various sized models. These results were used in the design of an industrial wind tunnel-scale model of a wing built for cruise and tiltrotor-like download testing. These tests have shown that actuators located in the flap follower are effective in both the hover and cruise phases of flight.