Experimental investigation of lift enhancement for flying wing aircraft using nanosecond DBD plasma actuators

The effects of the arrangement position and control parameters of nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (NS-DBD) plasma actuators on lift enhancement for flying wing aircraft were investigated through wind tunnel experiments at a flow speed of 25 ms(-1). The aerodynamic forces and moments were obtained by a six-component balance at angles of attack ranging from -4 degrees to 28 degrees. The lift, drag and pitching moment coefficients were compared for the cases with and without plasma control. The results revealed that the maximum control effect was achieved by placing the actuator at the leading edge of the inner and middle wing, for which the maximum lift coefficient increased by 37.8% and the stall angle of attack was postponed by 8 degrees compared with the plasma-off case. The effects of modulation frequency and discharge voltage were also investigated. The results revealed that the lift enhancement effect of the NS-DBD plasma actuators was strongly influenced by the modulation frequency. Significant control effects were obtained at f = 70 Hz, corresponding to F+ approximate to 1. The result for the pitching moment coefficient demonstrated that the plasma actuator can induce the reattachment of the separation flows when it is actuated. However, the results indicated that the discharge voltage had a negligible influence on the lift enhancement effect.