Development of design methodology for synthetic jet actuator array for flow separation control applications

This paper documents the development of Synthetic Jet Actuator (SJA) array hardware to augment high lift system effectiveness in a wind tunnel model. The work involved the design, manufacture and bench test of a SJA array based on an inclined actuator configuration to reduce volume installation requirements without a loss in jet velocity relative to a non-inclined baseline model; incorporation of proper SJA systems wiring and internal SJA chamber pressure-sensing for actuator health monitoring. The peak velocity obtained from the inclined SJA array was 100 m/s, which compares favorably to the baseline array (~90 m/s) while reducing usable depth requirements by 50 percent. The final outcome of this work has been to apply the design lessons learned to develop a methodology for designing a SJA array with the constraints of using piezoelectric-based actuator technology for flow separation control applications.