Control of Vortical Structures over a Tailless Chined Forebody-Delta Wing configuration

Modern fighter aircraft designed for low observability commonly combine delta wings with chine forebodies. However, both produce strong leading-edge vortices which may interact in ways that can cause non-linear moments and loss of control. Furthermore, it is expected that future fighter aircraft will be tailless to further reduce their radar cross-section, adding to the loss of longitudinal stability and control. The present research explores experimentally the effectiveness of finite-span synthetic jets on the aerodynamic forces and moments acting on a Tailless Chined Forebody-Delta Wing configuration. The finite span synthetic jets are located on the model's forebody and act on the vortices produced by the chine shape, with the intention of influencing the downstream interaction of these vortices with the vortices produced at the wing's leading edge, to in turn then delay the onset of vortex breakdown over the wing itself. The mean and unsteady forces and moments are analyzed and compared for a baseline case (no flow control) and several different configurations of finite-span synthetic jets. In addition, SPIV results are used to explain the effects of the jets on the aerodynamic loads.