Flow control structure and associated method for controlling attachment with a control surface

摘要

A wing assembly, a wing applique and an associated method for controlling the flow of air over a wing are provided. A wing assembly may include a wing having leading and trailing edges. The wing assembly also includes a flow control structure, such as an applique, carried by the surface of the wing so as to extend from a first end to a second end. The flow control structure defines an inlet proximate to the first end, an outlet proximate to the second end and the internal passage extending from the inlet to the outlet. The wing assembly may also include a control surface, such as a wedge, positioned downstream of the outlet. The flow control structure is configured to control the flow of air exiting from the outlet in order to correspondingly control attachment of the air with the control surface.

主权项

1. A wing assembly comprising:
a wing having a leading edge and a trailing edge; a flow control structure carried by the wing so as to extend from a first end to a second end, wherein the first end is closer to the leading edge than the second end and the second end is closer to the trailing edge than the first end, wherein the flow control structure defines an inlet proximate the first end, an outlet comprising a plurality of openings proximate the second end and an internal passage extending from the inlet to the outlet, wherein the flow control structure comprises a control section configured to control a flow of air exiting from the outlet; and a control surface positioned downstream of at least some openings of the outlet of the flow control structure, wherein the control surface is selected from the group consisting of a static control surface and a control surface that is configured to be repositioned by an actuator, wherein the flow control structure is configured to control the flow of air exiting from the outlet in order to correspondingly control attachment of the air with the control surface, wherein the flow control structure defines the outlet to include an opening extending in an upstream direction and an opening extending in a downstream direction, wherein the control section is configured to control a direction of the air exiting from the outlet by controllably directing the air to one or more of the opening extending in an upstream direction or the opening extending in a downstream direction, and wherein the control section comprises a piezoelectric device to provide power by energy scavenging techniques that obtain energy from the flow of air therethrough.