Method and apparatus for mitigating trailing vortex wakes of lifting or thrust generating bodies

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for mitigating the formation of concentrated wake vortex structures generated from lifting or thrust-generating bodies and maneuvering control surfaces wherein the use of contour surface geometries promotes vortex-mixing of high and low flow fluids. The methods and apparatuses can be combined with various drag reduction techniques, such as the use of riblets of various types and/or compliant surfaces (passive and active). Such combinations form unique structures for various fluid dynamic control applications to suppress transiently growing forms of boundary layer disturbances in a manner that significantly improves performance and has improved control dynamics.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A lifting or thrust-generating body or control surface having geometry that promotes vortex-mixing for mitigating the formation of concentrated wake vortex structures generated by such body or surface, comprising: a lifting or thrust-generating body or control surface having oscillatory variations in chord length along its spanwise direction, said oscillatory variations being selected to produce multiple wake vortices smaller than the concentrated structures generated at the tip region of the body or surface in the absence of such oscillatory variations, wherein the oscillatory variations are continuous across the entire span of the body or surface. 
     
     
         2 . A lifting or thrust-generating body or control surface having geometry that promotes vortex-mixing for mitigating the formation of concentrated wake vortex structures generated by such body or surface, comprising: a lifting or thrust-generating body having oscillatory variations in span length along its chordwise direction, said oscillatory variations being selected to produce multiple wake vortices smaller than the concentrated structures generated at the tip region of the body or surface in the absence of such oscillatory variations, wherein the oscillatory variations are continuous across the entire chord of the body or surface. 
     
     
         3 . A system for reducing vortex induced drag and flutter of a static structure in relation to fluid flow interactions wherein the system comprises: a static, non-mobile structure; a body rake appendage attached to said static non-mobile structure, said body rake appendage having a contour surface, wherein said attached body rake appendage provides for vortex-mixing within the fluid flow, thus reducing induced drag; said body rake appendage having oscillatory variations in chord length along its spanwise direction, said oscillatory variations being selected to produce multiple wake vortices smaller than the concentrated structures generated at the tip region of the body rake in the absence of such oscillatory variations, wherein the oscillatory variations are continuous across the entire span of the body rake. 
     
     
         4 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: the contour geometry has a form which is periodic in nature and varies in its peak position along the spanwise direction. 
     
     
         5 . The system in accordance with  claim 5 , wherein said form which is periodic in nature is a sinusoidal form. 
     
     
         6 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: said geometry takes a form which is not periodic in nature with a primal sinusoidal form, that varies in peak position of said primal sinusoidal form along the spanwise direction, such as that of a ringing function. 
     
     
         7 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: said geometry takes a form which is periodic in nature such as a sinusoidal form, that is constant in peak position along the spanwise direction combined with a primal sinusoidal form, that varies in peak position of said primal sinusoidal form along the spanwise direction, such as that of a ringing function. 
     
     
         8 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: said geometry varies in at least one of: period of placement of said structures, size of said structures, rate and shape of curvature changes in the x, y and z coordinate axis, wherein is applied layers of combinations of varied structure geometry such as period of placement of said structures, size of said structures, and rate and shape of curvature changes in the x, y and z coordinate axis. 
     
     
         9 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising: said thrust-generating body or control surface comprises at least one of: compound riblets, three-dimensional riblets, and shaped riblets (pyramid, rectangular and compound rectangular, tetrahedron and compound tetrahedron, etc.) that may be combined in various combinations and applied to surfaces which may be continuous and/or on the trailing and/or leading edges of the lifting or thrust-generating body or other surfaces which promote “vortex-mixing” along the span of the trailing edge of the lifting or thrust-generating body or other surfaces which reduces the duration and intensity of wake vortex effects generated by said lifting or thrust-generating body or other surfaces wherein various configurations are appropriate for fluid flow control applications within aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, energy and process industries such as aircraft, pipelines (inner and outer walls), cars, trucks, watercraft (aerodynamic and hydrodynamic applications), ship hulls, missiles, windsurfers (aerodynamic and hydrodynamic applications), sleds, skis and other athletic equipment, athletic suits and apparel, among a mass of possible applications wherein textured surfaces using advanced riblet techniques combined with compliant surfaces (passive and active), combined with contoured surfaces alter the character of the fluid flow interactions such as to produce the desired affect of reduced vortex induced drag by means of vortex-mixing. 
     
     
         10 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said thrust-generating body or control surface further comprises: a plurality of MEMS devices comprised of sensors and actuators and arranged at points along the chord length. 
     
     
         11 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the thrust-generating body or control surface further comprises: a plurality of MEMS devices comprised of sensors and actuators and arranged at points along the span length. 
     
     
         12 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the thrust-generating body or control surface further comprises: A plurality of MEMS devices comprised of sensors and actuators and arranged at points along the combined span length and chord length. 
     
     
         13 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said thrust-generating body or control surface further comprises: a structural shell or volume and connected or related appendages of said structural shell or volume of a defined surface, combined with rigid and/or compliant material, of the given structural shell or volume of one or more parametric dimensions. 
     
     
         14 . The system in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein said dimensions comprise mesh curves. 
     
     
         15 . The system in accordance with  claim 14 , wherein the mesh curves are spiral to make more efficient the provision needed for the local density of mesh curves in way of potentially shape-ambiguous inflections within intervals. 
     
     
         16 . The system in accordance with  claim 15  wherein said mesh curves contour in width and thickness to accommodate the local curvature of the design surface at each intersection adjacent to each said interval. 
     
     
         17 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: the geometry takes a form which is periodic in nature, such as a sinusoidal form, that can vary in amplitude and peak position of said sinusoidal form along the spanwise direction. 
     
     
         18 . The system in accordance with  claim 12 , further comprising a time-varying deflection or deformation of the said MEMS actuators based upon MEMS sensor input to introduce wake vortex structures to facilitate rapid breakup of the wake vortex structures formed. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18  in which perturbations occur at each individual MEMS actuator at a certain frequency and/or various frequencies and amplitudes. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  in which perturbations occur within grouped arrays of MEMS actuators at a certain frequency and/or various frequencies and amplitudes. 
     
     
         21 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: the shapes have a form which is not periodic in nature with a primal sinusoidal form, that can vary in peak position of said primal oscillatory or undulating form along the spanwise direction such as that of a ringing waveform or function. 
     
     
         22 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein: the shapes have a form is periodic in nature such as a sinusoidal form, that is constant in peak position of said sinusoidal form along the spanwise direction combined with a primal sinusoidal form, that can vary in peak position of said primal sinusoidal form along the spanwise direction such as that of a ringing function. 
     
     
         23 . The system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the shapes vary in geometry such as in period of placement, size, rate and shape of curvature changes in the x, y and z coordinate axis.