SBIR-STTR Award

Virtual Aerosurface Technologies, Inc. proposes an SBIR program for the adaptation of combustion powered actuation (COMPACT) flow control devices to the task of fuselage drag reduction on rotorcraft. COMPACT uses a small-scale combustion process to produce high velocity pulsed jets for flow control applications and has previously demonstrated strong control authority for reattachment of separated flows. The COMPACT actuators will be used in conjunction with MEMS-based wireless pressure sensors developed at Georgia Tech to form the basis for a complete closed-loop system for flow control. This approach will have the significant advantage of utilizing components for actuation and sensing which will have no moving components exposed to the external environment, thus increasing reliability and endurance under harsh operating environments. Phase I of the program will focus on testing the actuators and sensors under harsh environmental conditions, including developing test cells for and quantifying the effects of rain, dust, ice, external sound pressure levels, and vibration. A Phase I Option would develop new prototypes where necessary to mitigate the environmental effects observed and to provide an initial design and test of the actuator/sensor closed-loop control. Finally, Phase II would focus on integration of the system into a full-scale helicopter fuselage structure

Virtual Aerosurface Technologies, Inc. in collaboration with Georgia Tech proposes a Phase II SBIR program for the adaptation of combustion powered actuation (COMPACT) actuators to the task of fuselage drag reduction on rotorcraft. COMPACT uses a small-scale combustion process to produce pulsed jets with a wide range of strengths and has demonstrated capability to reattach separated flows over airfoils. The Phase I program demonstrated that COMPACT is largely immune to harsh environmental conditions and is suitable for the practical rotorcraft environment. The Phase II program will focus on adapting COMPACT to a suitable test region of a helicopter fuselage where flow separation is expected. Scale models of the fuselage will be constructed and studied for both baseline and actuated flow conditions to study separation and attachment mechanisms. Actuator modules will be developed for surface mounting onto existing fuselage designs for ease of integration and actuator performance characteristics and designs will be tailored to achieve desired flow control effects. CFD analysis will be used to support the effort with modeling of both the baseline flowfield and actuator impacts. The culmination of the program will be wind tunnel test at flight speeds (~140 kts) of a full-scale fuselage with integrated actuator modules.

Keywords:
Actve Flow Control, Environmental Testing, Rotorcraft, Fuselage, Drag Reduction, Combustion Actuator, Compact