Smart rotors: Dynamic-stall load control by means of an actuated flap

This study focuses on an active strategy for unsteady-load control by means of a trailing-edge flap. Experiments on a 2D pitching and heaving NACA 0018 airfoil with an actuated trailing-edge flap are performed at a reduced frequency κ = 0.1 in a free-stream flow with Re = 1.3 × 105. The model is equipped with 24 differential pressure transducers to provide with the time-resolved distribution of the pressure difference between pressure and suction sides. Results show that an actuated flap significantly decreases the magnitude of unsteady loads. A reduced order model of the flap effect on the loads is proposed. The loads are estimated by adding the contribution of the clean wing with the flap one. This model can be applied to unsteady loads for both attached flow and dynamic stall conditions, constituting an effective control strategy for dynamic loads, if the airfoil transition location is properly controlled. © Copyright 2017 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.