ACTIVE SEPARATION CONTROL FOR THE FLYING-WING UAV USING SYNTHETIC JET

The numerical simulation is conducted on the low-aspect-ratio flying-wing UAV model based on synthetic jet technology. Effectiveness of the synthetic jet active flow control technique for improving the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of model at low speed is explored and validated. The actuators produced significant shifts in the lift curve up to 25%. The flow characteristics analyses reveal that the disturbance caused by synthetic jet can transfer the higher moment flow to the boundary layer and reenergized the unstable boundary layer. The numerical results show that the synthetic jet technology can effectively improve flow separation at the middle and high angle of attack flight conditions.