The technology, developed by David Williams professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, could lead to aircraft that evade radar detection, more fuel-efficient aircraft.
A team of researchers at Illinois Tech, led by Professor David Williams, has demonstrated for the first time the use of a new control method in a tailless aircraft. This technology makes the aircraft as smooth and smooth as possible, making it safer to fly in hazardous areas where radar scans the sky to detect sharp edges.
While traditional aircraft rely on protruding fins to enable steering, the tailless design is controlled by active airflow. This airflow blows jets of air onto various surfaces of the aircraft body, corresponding to the direction in which the aircraft is moving. The technology could be employed to improve fuel efficiency in commercial aircraft by removing existing steering components that create a lot of drag.
A professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, Williams led a team of Illinois Institute of Technology students and collaborators to build a jet that houses both traditional steering control and new implementations of active flow control. rice field.
In October 2022, the group launched a jet from Pendleton’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) in Oregon, completing two nine-minute flights to demonstrate the system’s success.
For each flight, one pilot launched the jet using conventional flight controls. Then, in flight, she switched control to her second pilot operating her flow control system.
In initial testing, the team found that the active flow control system actually delivered more power than had been predicted in wind tunnel testing.
“In engineering, it doesn’t work that way. Most of the time we get less than we expected, but this time we got more,” Williams says. “The first day was very dramatic. It was very strong and scary. If the jet gets too big sideways it can get out of control. ”
Once pilots felt confident in their ability to control the aircraft, they performed roll and pitch maneuvers to test Active Flow Control’s ability to maneuver the jet at steep angles.
The advantage of active flow control is that it can potentially allow maneuvers that are not possible with conventional controls, such as making very fast turns or flying at angles that would render conventional controls ineffective.
Williams says the unexpected power of their system has increased his confidence that the jet can perform these more advanced maneuvers.
On its second flight, Williams reduced power to the active flow control system for a safer, more stable flight, allowing it to gather more data on how the active flow control was performing. .
Active flow control is implemented using the patent-pending Coanda valve designed by Williams and his students. This was the first opportunity to demonstrate the design’s success in aircraft.
Williams said the team will conduct more flight tests and will gradually move toward more extreme control maneuvers using active flow control during takeoff.
“I got the breakthrough I was looking for,” says Williams. “Now, future testing will begin to add to our achievements and confidence in airplane design.”
Williams is a member of the NATO Working Group that received the organization’s 2021 Excellence Award for its work in this area.
Original: Illinois Institute of Technology Professor Demonstrates New Control Method in Tailless Aircraft
Than: Illinois Institute of Technology
