On the Use of Synthetic Jet Actuators to Induce Jet-Vectoring in Nozzles

The application of Synthetic Jet (SJ) flow manipulators to the thrust vectoring of supersonic nozzles is investigated numerically. The thrust vectoring is obtained here by SJ induced flow separations, which generate the required asymmetry of the nozzle wall pressure distribution. The computational technique is based on a well-assessed mathematical model of the compressible URANS equations. The domain-decomposition approach is adopted for coupling the flow in the actuators with the nozzle flow. Nozzle performances and thrust vector angles have been computed for a fixed Nozzle Pressure Ratio. Application of SJ to Shock Vector Control and to Dual-Throat Nozzle technologies is investigated. The open-loop response of the nozzles has been computed under different SJ forcing in order to investigate the thrust vectoring effectiveness and controllability.