The Boeing Company

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Bradley Jerome Rafferty

Ari Glezer

Douglas Conrad Cameron, Jr

Rene Woszidlo

Mary Eileen Beckman

Andrew Leung

Daniel Paul Brzozowski

Robert M Dowgwillo

Bojan Vukasinovic

Derek A Nichols

Jay Wiggins

Matthew C DeFore

Matthew C Defore

An adjustable flow control system includes a fluid source, a mass-flux device and a controller. The fluid source is configured to generate a fluid flow. The mass-flux device has an inlet to receive the fluid flow. The fluid flow is transferred from the inlet to an outlet that has an exit area with a variable geometry. The controller is configured to calculate a particular exit area of the mass-flux device to achieve a flow performance metric, calculate a fluid property of the fluid flow to produce the flow performance metric based on the particular exit area, determine if the fluid source could generate the fluid flow to match the fluid property, and control the variable geometry of the exit area to establish the particular exit area in response to the fluid source being able to generate the fluid flow to match the fluid property.

Adjustable flow control systems

Example active flow control systems and methods for aircraft are described herein. An example an active flow control system includes a plenum, a plurality of nozzles fluidly coupled to the plenum, configured to eject high pressure air across a control surface, a compressor to supply pressurized air to the plenum, an electric motor to drive the compressor, and a control system to determine an amount of power input to the electric motor, determine a current speed of the electric motor, and determine a fault has occurred in the active flow control system based on the current speed of the electric motor.

Active flow control systems and methods for aircraft

An inlet flow distortion control system employs a plurality of flow control devices forming at least one array integrated into an internal surface of the inlet. The at least one array extends over an azimuthal range relative to a normal flow axis of the inlet and has a plurality of circumferential rows spaced at increasing distance from a highlight of the inlet. A control system is operably connected to the flow control devices and adapted to activate flow control devices in selected subarrays of the array responsive to a predetermined flight condition.

Adaptable flow control for engine nacelles

Adjustable fluidic oscillators are disclosed. A disclosed example oscillator includes a base having a cavity with a cross-sectional profile defining an oscillatory chamber between an inlet and an outlet of the oscillator, and a plunger to be received by the cavity and movable along a depth of the cavity to vary an aspect ratio of the oscillator.

Adjustable fluidic oscillators

A test fixture for measuring the skin friction of anisotropic surface finish on a material is described. The test fixture can be utilized in a wind tunnel. The test fixture can include a plate having a cavity configured to receive a circular specimen disk. A motor can be coupled to the plate to rotate the circular specimen disk. During a test, a fluid can flow over the plate in a particular direction and the motor can rotate the circular specimen disk to determine the effect of the flow angle on the average skin friction coefficient of a surface finish of a material. The circular specimen disk can easily be attached and detached from the test fixture to allow circular specimen disks with different surface finishes to be tested.

Test fixture to measure the average skin friction of anisotropic surfaces

Growing community of inventors

St. Louis, MO, United States of America

Bradley Jerome Rafferty