Using active flow control to improve the aerodynamic performance of the next generation civil tilt rotor aircraft

International audience; This paper presents the results of studies using so called Zero Net Mass Flux (ZNMF) actuators for active flow control on the Next Generation Civil Tilt Rotor Technical Demonstrator (NGCTR-TD) aircraft. The Next Generation Civil Tilt Rotor (NGCTR-TD) is a a novel concept that combines the benefits of a helicopter with the speed and the capabilities of a fixed wing aircraft. The range and speed are comparable to that of a fixed wing aircraft, but the aircraft can land and take-off vertically, and when needed, can hover on a fixed position over ground. The European Funded CleanSky2 project AFC4TR (Active Flow Control for Tilt Rotor Aircraft) will investigate the use of ZNMF devices to increase the aerodynamic efficiency. In the first phase of the project unsteady CFD simulations were made for the flow over the NGCTR-TD aircraft to identify critical flow regions that could benefit from ZNMF devices. In the second phase of the project unsteady CFD simulations were made for the flow over the NGCTR-TD aircraft using ZNMF devices. In the third phase of the project optimization studies are made to identify the the optimal parameter settings and the best locations of the ZNMF devices.