First-In-Flight Full-Scale Application of Active Flow Control: The XV-15 Tiltrotor Download Reduction
Abstract
In June 2003, before being retired to the Smithsonian Museum Annex, near Dulles Airport, the only remaining XV-15 tiltrotor aircraft was used for a series of flight tests to demonstrate the effectiveness of Active flow Control (AFC) in reducing the download during hover. The flaps/ailerons were retrofitted with actuators delivering zero-mass-flux periodic jets emanating from slots positioned tangential to the surface. The flight tests followed two extensive sets of model experiments, and the program included participation form University of Arizona, Illinois Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University, Bell Helicopter and Boeing under the sponsorship of the Micro-Adaptive Flow control (MAFC) program of DARPA. The over six hours of flight tests successfully achieved the two goals and documented reduction in the download forces by 9 to 14%, thereby demonstrating for the first time the aerodynamic principals of AFC extend to full-scale flight.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA442393
Entities
People
- Aaron D. Stalker
- Hassan M. Nagib
- Israel J. Wygnanski
- John W. Kiedaisch
- Michael A. Mcveigh
- Tom Wood
Organizations
- Illinois Institute of Technology