Active aeroelastic control aspects of an aircraft wing by using synthetic jet actuators: modeling, simulations, experiments

This paper discusses modeling, simulations and experimental aspects of active aeroelastic control on aircraft wings by using Synthetic Jet Actuators (SJAs). SJAs, a particular class of zero-net mass-flux actuators, have shown very promising results in numerous aeronautical applications, such as boundary layer control and delay of flow separation. A less recognized effect resulting from the SJAs is a momentum exchange that occurs with the flow, leading to a rearrangement of the streamlines around the airfoil modifying the aerodynamic loads. Discussions pertinent to the use of SJAs for flow and aeroelastic control and how these devices can be exploited for flutter suppression and for aerodynamic performances improvement are presented and conclusions are outlined.