Design of Smart flap actuators for swept shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction control

Piezoelectric actuators have long been recognised for use in aerospace structures for control of structural shape. This paper looks at active control of the swept shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction using smart flap actuators. The actuators are manufactured by bonding piezoelectric material to an inert substrate to control the bleed/suction rate through a plenum chamber. The cavity provides communication of signals across the shock, allowing rapid thickening of the boundary layer approaching the shock, which splits into a series of weaker shocks forming a lambda shock foot, reducing wave drag. Active control allows optimum control of the interaction, as it would be capable of positioning the control region around the original shock position and unimorph tip deflection, hence mass transfer rates. The actuators are modelled using classical composite material mechanics theory, as well as a finite element-modelling program (ANSYS 5.7).