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AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsScott L. Schwimley, Donald V. Drouin, JR.
Estimating the term…
A system and method for controlling a freestream air flow over a surface of an airborne mobile platform, for example an aircraft. In one implementation the system includes a plurality of plasma actuators used on an undersurface of a fuselage of an aircraft upstream of a weapons bay of the aircraft. When the plasma actuators are energized an induced flow is created adjacent the actuators. The induced flow operates to deflect the shear layer created when the freestream air flow moves over the weapons bay (while the bay doors are open), away from the weapons bay. This significantly reduces the oscillating acoustic pressure waves that would normally be produced if the shear layer turns into the weapons bay. The system and method significantly reduces acoustic noise inside the weapons bay and improves separation of ordnance from the weapons bay.
A method for controlling an air flow over a cavity in a body of a mobile platform to reduce an intensity of oscillating pressure waves in a vicinity of said cavity, the method comprising:
A method for altering a flow path of an air flow over a weapons bay of a mobile platform, comprising:
A flow control system for use on a mobile platform to alter an air flow over a cavity of said mobile platform, said system comprising:
An airborne mobile platform comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.