Multi-Axis Pneumatic Vortex Control: Advanced Pneumatic Vortex Control For Aircraft

  Pneumatic Vortex Control (PVC) is concerned with generating controlling forces and moments on aircraft by injecting small jets of gas (such as nitrogen or air) into the vehicle flowfield. The jets create vortices which, by the Von Kármán effect, reduce local pressures, thereby generating forces. Early full-scale research and flight testing used PVC on the X-29A (right) to generate forebody vortices for yaw control at high angles-of-attack. These tests validated the PVC concept, and subsequent research developed Model Predictive Variable Structure Controllers (MPVSC) and Fuzzy Logic Controllers for this aircraft. The ultimate expression of the PVC concept is full pneumatic control at high speeds and low angles-of-attack. This would be characterized by engine bleed air supplied PVC devices on the forebody, wing, and vertical tail completely replacing elevators, ailerons and rudders. Current research is focused upon extending the controllers developed for the X-29A, and developing new Neural Controllers for multi-axis PVC control of the F-16XL (left).

Working with me on this project are Graduate Research Assistants:

• Praveen Joshi
• Dai Ito