Integrated Propulsion/Lift/Control System for Aircraft and Ship Applications

Abstract

A new method for boundary layer energization and boundary layer propulsion for use on vehicles moving through fluids, which comprises mounting small airfoils parallel or perpendicular to the vehicle's surface, said airfoils being embedded within the said vehicle's boundary layer and juxtaposed the surface of said vehicle, said airfoils being approximately the height of the boundary layer thickness and exciting said airfoils into flapping oscillation parallel to the chord plane of said airfoils, said oscillation at a frequency up to 100 cycles per second at an amplitude up to 20 percent of the chord length of said airfoil, whereby flow separation is delayed or suppressed which enables the redesign of said vehicle.