SBIR-STTR Award

In this research program, a novel approach for aerodynamic analysis - the boundary-vorticity-flux (BVF) procedure - will be fully developed and consolidated with numerical Navier-Stokes flow-solvers to create a new aerodynamic design tool for rotors, with and without flow controls. This tool will be used in studies of rotor-blade design in the absence of flow control and in evaluations of passive and active flow control methods. In Phase I of this program, the BVF procedure will be fully developed for the airfoil problem. The effectiveness of the BVF procedure will be demonstrated through in-depth studies of the problem of optimal design of airfoils, the use of multi-element airfoil in flow control, the adaptive control of dynamic stall by tangential surface injection, and the control of effects of airfoil-vortex interaction through adaptive deformation of the airfoil shape. In Phase I Option of this program, experiments will be planned for the validation of BVF-based theoretical results. Navier-Stokes flow-solvers for rotors will be evaluated. A BVF-based design procedure will be developed for rotors.

Benefits:
This research program will directly benefit the rotorcraft industry. The aerodynamics design tool created under the program will fulfill a compelling need within the rotorcraft community and will contribute significantly to the design of the next generation rotorcraft. This tool is also important to the fixed-wing aircraft industry, offering potential for substantial improvements in the design of flow-control devices for lift augmentation and high maneuverability