Active flow control systems for aircraft and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11332235-B2
Application number	US-201816036516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2018
Priority date	Jul 16, 2018
Publication date	May 17, 2022
Grant date	May 17, 2022

Abstract

Active fluid control systems and related methods are disclosed. A disclosed example active fluid control system includes a plurality of plenums coupled together to define a fluid flow passageway, and a plurality of fluidic actuators coupled to outer surfaces of respective ones of the plenums. The fluidic actuators define actuator inlets and actuator outlets. The fluid flow passageway defined by the plenums to fluidly couple the fluidic actuators and a pressurized fluid supply source. The plenums are configured to couple to an aircraft structure supporting an aerodynamic surface to enable the actuator outlets to be mounted to the aerodynamic surface. The fluidic actuators are configured to provide the pressurized fluid to the aerodynamic surface to modify an aerodynamic characteristic of the aerodynamic surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An active flow control system for an aircraft, the system comprising:
a plurality of plenums coupled together to define a fluid flow passageway;
a plurality of fluidic actuators directly mounted to outer surfaces of respective ones of the plenums, the fluidic actuators defining actuator inlets and actuator outlets, each of the outer surfaces of the plenums includes a plurality of slots spaced along a longitudinal axis of the fluid flow passageway, respective ones of the slots to receive respective ones of the fluidic actuators such that the respective ones of the slots are coplanar with respective ones of the actuator inlets, the fluid flow passageway defined by the plenums to fluidly couple the fluidic actuators and a pressurized fluid supply source, the plenums configured to couple to an aircraft structure supporting an aerodynamic surface to enable the actuator outlets to be mounted to the aerodynamic surface, the fluidic actuators configured to provide the pressurized fluid to the aerodynamic surface to modify an aerodynamic characteristic of the aerodynamic surface;
a first one-way valve coupled to a first end of the fluid passageway; and
a second one-way valve coupled to a second end of the fluid passageway opposite the first end, the plenums positioned between the first valve and the second valve, the second end of the fluid passageway defining a lowest point of elevation of the fluid passageway.

2. The system as defined in claim 1 , further including connectors to couple the plenums to define the fluid flow passageway.

3. The system as defined in claim 2 , wherein the connectors include at least one of a v-band clamp, a coupling, and a male-to-female connector.

4. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the fluidic actuators are fluidic oscillators.

5. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein each of the actuator inlets has a rectangular shaped cross-section.

6. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein each of the fluidic actuators has an actuator body and an actuator base, the actuator body being coupled to the actuator base.

7. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the fluidic actuators are coupled to the outer surfaces of the respective ones of the plenums via at least one of welding, mechanical fasteners, chemical fasteners, and an interference fit.

8. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the fluidic actuators and respective ones of the plenums are formed as a unitary piece.

9. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein each of the outer surfaces of the plenums includes a plurality of flanges protruding therefrom, respective ones of the flanges being associated with respective ones of the slots, the respective ones of the flanges to receive the respective ones of the fluidic actuators.

10. An active flow control system comprising:
a first plenum to be supported by a first frame adjacent an aerodynamic surface of a vehicle; the first plenum including:
a first body defining a first passageway between a first end and a second end, the first body having an oblong cross-sectional shape such that an upper surface of the first body and a lower surface of the first body opposite the upper surface have substantially flat surfaces, the first body having a first outer surface including a first flange protruding from the outer surface to define a first opening; and
a first fluidic oscillator directly attached to the first outer surface via the first flange, the first fluidic oscillator including:
a second body including a second flange, the second body defining a first actuator inlet and a first actuator outlet, the first actuator inlet being coplanar with the first opening, the first opening to fluidly couple the first fluidic oscillator and the first passageway to enable fluid flow between the first passageway and the first actuator outlet via the first actuator inlet, the first actuator outlet defining an exit path of the fluid flow to the aerodynamic surface of the vehicle; and
a base separate from the second body, the base including a third flange and a mounting tab, the third flange to couple to the second flange, the mounting tab to couple the first fluidic oscillator to the aerodynamic surface of the vehicle;

a second plenum including a second body defining a second passageway between a third end and a fourth end, the second body having an oblong cross-sectional shape such that an upper surface of the second body and a lower surface of the second body opposite the upper surface have substantially flat surfaces; and
a connector configured to couple the first plenum and the second plenum such that the first passageway and the second passageway are in fluid communication and define a fluid flow pathway of the active flow control system.

11. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the first end of the first plenum is directly attached to the third end of the second plenum.

12. The system as defined in claim 11 , wherein the connector includes a v-band clamp.

13. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein at least one of the second end of the first plenum or the fourth end of the second plenum is configured to fluidly couple to a fluid supply source, the fluid supply source configured to provide a pressurized fluid to the first fluidic oscillator via the fluid flow pathway defined by the first and second plenums.

14. The system as defined in claim 10 , further including a first one-way valve fluidly coupled to at least one of the first end of the first plenum or the fourth end of the second plenum, the first one-way valve configured to allow pressurized fluid to flow to the first and second plenums and to prevent back flow of fluid to a fluid supply source, the first one-way valve being coupled between the fluid supply source and the at least one of the first end of the first plenum or the fourth end of the second plenum.

15. The system as defined in claim 14 , further including a second one-way valve fluidly coupled to the active flow control system at a point of lowest elevation, the second one-way valve configured to prevent pressurized fluid from exiting the first and second plenums when the fluid supply source provides the pressurized fluid to the active flow control system and to allow fluid to drain when the fluid supply source does not provide the pressurized fluid to the active flow control system.

16. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the second plenum includes:
a second outer surface including a fourth flange defining a second opening; and
a second fluidic oscillator directly attached to the second outer surface via the fourth flange, the second fluidic oscillator including a second actuator inlet and a second actuator outlet, the second actuator inlet being coplanar with the second opening, the second opening to fluidly couple the second fluidic oscillator and the second passageway to enable fluid flow between the second passageway and the second actuator outlet via the second actuator inlet.

17. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the second plenum is to be supported by a second frame adjacent the aerodynamic surface of the vehicle.

18. A method of mounting a fluid delivery system to an aircraft, the method comprising:
directly mounting a first fluidic actuator to an outer surface of a first plenum via a first flange protruding from the outer surface of the first plenum such that a first fluidic inlet of the first fluidic actuator is at least partially inserted in the first plenum, the first plenum defining a first passageway in fluid communication with the first fluidic inlet

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Leung Andrew
• Duffy Michael J
• Beckman Mary E
• Mattero John Jeffrey
• Woszidlo Rene

Classifications

• F15D1/12

  by influencing the boundary layer · CPC title

• Y02T50/10

  Drag reduction · CPC title

• F15D1/002

  by influencing the boundary layer · CPC title

• B64C2230/04

  by actively generating fluid flow · CPC title

• B64C21/04 Primary

  for blowing · CPC title