Analog VLSI system for active drag reduction
- California Inst. of Technology, Pasadena, CA (United States)
- Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
In today`s cost-conscious air transportation industry, fuel costs are a substantial economic concern. Drag reduction is an important way to reduce costs. Even a 5% reduction in drag translates into estimated savings of millions of dollars in fuel costs. Drawing inspiration from the structure of shark skin, the authors are building a system to reduce drag along a surface. Our analog VLSI system interfaces with microfabricated, constant-temperature shear stress sensors. It detects regions of high shear stress and outputs a control signal to activate a microactuator. We are in the process of verifying the actual drag reduction by controlling microactuators in wind tunnel experiments. We are encouraged that an approach similar to one that biology employs provides a very useful contribution to the problem of drag reduction. 9 refs., 21 figs.
- OSTI ID:
- 420677
- Journal Information:
- IEEE Micro, Vol. 16, Issue 5; Other Information: PBD: Oct 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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