| Description |
xi, 45 leaves : illustrations ; 29 cm |
| Summary |
"Plasma-based aerodynamic actuators are of interest to researchers because they do not require moving control surfaces or a source of pressurized air to modify a flow field. Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators have the added advantages of simple installation and low power consumption. DBD plasma actuators are AC devices. This work measured actuator power consumption and thrust production for driving frequencies between 1 and 18 kHz, and for driving voltages of 6 and 9 kV peak to peak. The actuator consumed between 3 and 22 W of power and produced thrust levels between 0.05 and 0.2 mN per meter span. A comparison showed close agreement between the results of this work and those of other researchers. The actuator effectiveness (i.e., thrust produced per watt of power input) was calculated and found to range between 0.017 and 0.11 mN/W. The continuous power consumption of a DBD actuator-based control system was estimated by modeling the actuators as jet flaps. This work determined the elevator jet flap strength required to trim two small aircraft in flight. First, a 0.5 kg aircraft with 0.76 m² wing area required between 0.47 and 2.22 kW of power for trim. A second 3 kg aircraft with 1.27 m² wing area required between 13.6 and 54.6 kW of power for trim"--Abstract, leaf iii. |
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