Identification and mitigation of T-S waves using localized dynamic surface modification

The control of transition from a laminar to a turbulent flow over a flat plate using localized dynamic surface modifications was explored experimentally in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s subsonic wind tunnel. Dynamic surface modification, via a pair of Piezoelectrically Driven Oscillating Surface (PDOS) actuators, was used to excite and control the T-S wave over a flat plate. Creating an upstream, localized small disturbance at the most amplified frequency of f_act = 250 Hz led to phase-locking the T-S wave. This enabled observation of the excited T-S wave using phase-locked stereoscopic particle image velocimetry. The growth of the T-S wave as it moved downstream was also measured using this technique (25% growth over four wavelengths of the excited wave). Activation of a downstream PDOS actuator (in addition to the upstream PDOS) at the appropriate amplitude and phase shift resulted in attenuation of the peak amplitude of the coherent velocity fluctuations (by up to 68%) and a substantial reduction of the degree of coherence of the T-S wave. Since the PDOS actuators used in this work were localized, the effect of the control strategy was confined to the region directly downstream of the PDOS actuator.