Computational investigation of airfoils with miniature trailing edge control surfaces

Miniature trailing edge effectors (MiTEs) are small flaps (typically 1% to 5% chord) actuated with deflection angles of up to 90 degrees. The small size, combined with little required power and good control authority, enables the device to be used for high bandwidth control. Recently, there have been attempts to use MiTEs as aeroelastic control devices, mainly to stabilize a wing operating beyond its flutter speed. However, the detailed aerodynamic characteristics of these devices are relatively unknown. The present study investigates the steady and unsteady aerodynamics of MiTEs. In order to understand the flow structure and establish a parametric database, steady state incompressible Navier-Stokes computations are performed on MiTEs with various geometries using INS2D flow solver. In addition, to resolve the dynamic characteristics, time accurate computation is implemented.