The University of Arizona

Daimler Chrysler Ag

Hermann F Fasel

Volker Schwarz

Albert Hack

Rainer Tiefenbacher

Ralf Rossmanith

J&ouml;rg Russow

Christoph Hader

A system and method for controlling boundary layer transition for a high-speed vehicle are disclosed. The method includes determining a location of onset of boundary-layer transition that naturally develops during high-speed flight of the high-speed vehicle, and providing a pair of flow control strips at a surface/wall/skin of the high-speed vehicle such that the boundary-layer transition is delayed or prevented during high-speed flight of the high-speed vehicle. The delayed or prevented locations of the transition result in a change in the high-speed boundary layer during the high-speed flight of the high-speed vehicle. The change in the high-speed boundary layer transition affects skin friction drag, aero-thermodynamic heating, and pressure fluctuations in the boundary layer of the high-speed vehicle.

Flow control techniques for delaying or accelerating laminar-turbulent boundary-layer transition for high-speed flight vehicles

A system and method for controlling hypersonic boundary layer transition for a hypersonic flight vehicle are disclosed. The reduction or elimination of hot streaks that naturally occurs in the boundary layer transition process during hypersonic flight is achieved by utilizing various techniques. One such technique utilizes roughness elements to counteract streak development. The techniques for reducing or eliminating the streaks are tailored such that the nonlinear stages of transition are profoundly altered. This results in significant drag reduction, and consequently an increase in range of the vehicle, and also a reduction of the weight penalty due to the Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) as less protective material would be required, thus allowing for an increased payload and/or range of the vehicle.

Control of hypersonic boundary layer transition

A motor vehicle has an outer contour around which the headwind flows when driving has associated with it flow-influencing structure to reduce the air resistance of the motor vehicle is known. The flow-influencing structure are movably mounted in a vicinity of the outer contour and can be activated periodically with the aid of drive devices in order to introduce suitably time-dependent disturbances into the flow of the headwind in the vicinity of the flow-influencing structure.

Motor vehicle with flow-influencing devices to reduce air resistance

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Hermann F Fasel