United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Carl L Enloe

Thomas C Corke

Eric J Jumper

Thomas E McLaughlin

A single dielectric barrier aerodynamic plasma actuator apparatus based on the dielectric barrier discharge phenomenon is disclosed and suggested for application to aerodynamic uses for drag reduction, stall elimination and airfoil efficiency improvement. In the plasma actuator apparatus non-uniform in time and space, partially ionized gasses are generated by one or more electrode pairs each having one electrically encapsulated electrode and one air stream exposed electrode and energization by a high-voltage alternating current waveform. The influence of electrical waveform variation, electrode polarity, electrode size and electrode shape on the achieved plasma are considered along with theoretical verification of achieved results. Light output, generated thrust, ionizing current waveform and magnitude and other variables are considered. Misconceptions prevailing in the present day plasma generation art are addressed and are believed-to-be corrected. The influence of electrostatic shielding effects of the developed plasma on the applied electric field are also considered.

Single dielectric barrier aerodynamic plasma actuation

A charged particle analyzer electrode assembly of miniaturized physical size and photolithographic process element fabrication capability. The provided electrode assembly is made of conductive materials including semiconductor materials and metal materials. Individual electrodes in the assembly are made of for example plural layers of semiconductor or metal held in place by discrete insulator layers. Bandpass particle energy selection characteristics are achieved in the analyzer through a combination of analyzer particle path geometry configuration and the particle acceleration electrical potential selection. Selected particles are allowed to pass through the analyzer under these influences and non selected particles are excluded. Assembly of individual analyzer electrode assemblies into a multiple element analyzer array usable for example on an aircraft or spacecraft is included. Both millimeter sized and micrometer sized arrangements of the invention are contemplated.

Laminated electrostatic analyzer

A simple electrostatic retarding potential analyzer configuration is described that gives a true measure of charged particle energy irrespective of the angle of incidence of the particles. The device has an inherently high energy resolution (.DELTA. E/E&lt;0.01). The device eliminates errors in particle energy measurement usually associated with planar gridded RPA's. Electrostatic models and results from an experimental prototype indicate that the device can determine the energies of charged particles with a high degree of accuracy.

High resolution retarding potential analyzer

The spatial-focus energy analyzer consists of an aperture plate (a) in the shape of a wedge, with the actual aperture at the apex of the wedge, an analyzing region (b) in the shape of a rectangular box with a hole in one end through which the aperture plate protrudes and a wide slit at the other end, an image plane (c) with a thin slit in it, and a particle detector (d). The preferable particle detector is a microchannel plate with a segmented anode, although a simple conducting plate (segmented or not) may be used connected to one or more analog current meters if the particle flux is large enough. In operation, the device is aligned to that the flux of particles to be analyzed enter the entrance aperture. The particle flux or current is measured as a varying voltage is applied to the analyzing structure. Particles with a given energy will have trajectories within the analyzing region will be focused on the slit in the image plane. Particles with different energies will be defocused and hence unable to pass through the slit and onto the active areas of the particle detector. Because of the particular trajectory that the particles take, the position of the particle on the active are of the particle detector is uniquely related to the angle of incidence of the particle as it enters the device.

Spatial-focus energy analyzer

A system is disclosed which will improve the flashover strength of high-voltage insulators in vacuum. Treatments which deposit a small amount of metal on an insulator surface can improve flashover performance. This process applies commercial ion-implantation techniques to achieve a quasi-metalized surface on a vacuum insulator. By making the metal a part of the structure of the insulator near the surface, the ion-bombardment process yields a surface which has the same electrical properties as a metalized surface achieved by other methods, with the additional advantage of mechanical and electrical ruggedness.

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Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

Carl L Enloe