Adaptive Flow Control of Low Reynolds Number Aerodynamics Using a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Actuator

The aerodynamics of micro air vehicles (operating at the chord Reynolds number of 10 5 or below) is substantially influenced by the unsteadiness of the wind gust and the aircraft’s light weight. In this effort, we investigate the active flow control of the dielectric barrier discharge actuator for flows around the SD7003 airfoil, with the chord Reynolds number of 6×10 4 , to enhance our understanding of the unsteady aerodynamics. Using a recently developed ARMARKOV/Toeplitz control scheme, the characteristics of the adaptive control in response to the fluctuation of the free stream, and impact on the aerodynamics are probed. By varying the voltage amplitude to the DBD actuator, effective control of unsteady flow structure can be performed to attain a desirable lift.