Towards the Industrial Application of Active Flow Control in Civil Aircraft - An Active Highlift Flap

Various publications have shown the considerable potential of flow control to enhance the aerodynamic performance of aircraft. However, for its industrial application the overall benefit is crucial which does not only take into account aerodynamic characteristics but also system implementation, structural integration and operational aspects. In this contribution we investigate to what extent active flow control at trailing edge flaps can be used to increase the highlift performance of a civil transport aircraft. The objective is to achieve the same maximum lift at landing with a less complex and lighter highlift system. For this application scenario different system architectures are developed and a structural integration into the flap is worked out. The evaluation of these concepts considers real aircraft constraints and requirements. The most promising concepts are studied in normal operation and off-operation conditions within dedicated system ground tests. The related results are thoroughly discussed in this work.

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