Design and optimization of nonlinear oscillators for drag reduction on airfoils

We demonstrate a novel resonant and nonlinear piezoelectric oscillator design for the manipulation of the turbulent boundary layer on airfoils. A thorough analysis of the system's non-linear dynamics has helped to convert the abrupt, chaotic and irregular response to a desirable smooth hardening response. The high-force actuators realized amplitudes of 500 to 700 μm in the frequency range of 900 to 1200 Hz, while the MEMS counterpart shows a stroke of up to 250 μm in the same frequency range.