Thrust-vectoring a single impinging jet in a crossflow

The developing field of thrust-vectoring flight control continues to draw increased interest in both academic and industrial circles due to the highly nonlinear nature of the field and real benefits extractable for both military and civil aircraft. Along with apparent increases in maneuverability, thrust-vectoring flight control promises to increase flight safety and emergency control recovery, reduce aircraft weight by eliminating the vertical tail, increase flight range and to reduce takeoff and landing runway requirements. Of particular interest is the vertical takeoff and landing capabilities provided by thrust-vectoring flight control and the jet behavior during various modes of hover and movement. In this work, the FLUENT finite volume code is implemented to study the behavior trend of vectoring a single jet from 0-30 degrees into a crossflow of intensities R = 30, 10 and no crossflow for the first time. It is concluded that the crossflow has a greater affect on the effective vectoring angle and thrust coefficient with increasing nominal vectoring angle. Equations describing the effective vectoring angle and thrust coefficient are provided to allow the academic and designer to consider the external crossflow effect on jet performance in development and design simulations. It is further concluded, that for a height of 2D, the stagnation point of the jet disappears a vectoring angle of about 240 after which the jet is unstable as a vertical support for the aircraft.