Embedded sensor/actuator system for aircraft active flow separation control

This work reports on finite element method (FEM) design and fabrication of low cost capacitive pressure sensors for aircraft applications; this work is part of a research activity aimed to develop an embedded sensor-actuator system composed by multi-measure points pressure sensors for flow turbulence detection and coupled plasma actuators for control of separated flows on aircraft wings structures. The system uses sensors feedback information to provide fast reattachment of boundary layer separation flow on the suction surface of regional aircraft vehicles. Flow separation has great impact on the performance and safety of an aircraft and it can be predicted by quantifying the pressure gradients along the wing wall. Considering the absolute pressure values on a NACA 0012 profile as a function of the angle of attack, high sensitivity measurements of differential pressure can be obtained by positioning the sensor-nodes at points on the airfoil surface where the P/P_stall ratio between the absolute pressure at different angles of attack and the pressure measured in stall condition is maximized.