Grazing flow over a deep cavity can result in resonance characterized by a standing wave/vortex feedback loop. Control of cavity resonance has potential impact in stealth aircraft and aircraft wheel well/weapons bay applications, where periodic stress loading can cause material fatigue failure or destruction of instrumentation. A perturbation analysis of the fundamental equations of motion for a fluid system motivates control methods based on interactions of external sources of mass, momentum, and energy with cavity fluctuations. Through proper placement of a screen (drag force) supported by springs in wind tunnel laboratory experiments, the rms pressure level in the cavity was significantly reduced without interacting with the approaching boundary/shear layer. Further reductions were observed when a piezoelectric actuator, a ceramic capable of vibration when alternating current is passed through it, is used to actively vibrate the screen.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Endres, Matthew Jason
• Ainsworth, Tristan John

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 01D267M

Advisor

• Demetriou, Michael A.
• Olinger, David J.

Year

• 2001

Date created

• 2001-01-01

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Mechanical Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2022-11-30