Digital mapping of surface turbulence status and aerodynamic stall on wings of a flying aircraft

• Published in: Nature communications 2023-05, Vol.14 (1), p.2792-2792, Article 2792
• Main Authors: Xu, Zijie, Cao, Leo N. Y., Li, Chengyu, Luo, Yingjin, Su, Erming, Wang, Weizhe, Tang, Wei, Yao, Zhaohui, Wang, Zhong Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 639/166; 639/301; 639/766; Aerodynamics; Air flow; Aircraft; Boundary layers; Digital mapping; Flight; Flight safety; Flow separation; Fluid dynamics; Fluid flow; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrodynamics; Lightweight; Monitoring; multidisciplinary; Piezoelectricity; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Stalling; Turbulence; Turbulent flow; Unmanned aerial vehicles; Unmanned aircraft; Wings; Wings (aircraft)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38486-6

Real-time monitoring of flow turbulence is very difficult but extremely important in fluid dynamics, which plays an important role in flight safety and control. Turbulence can cause airflow to detach at the end of the wings, potentially resulting in the aerodynamic stall of aircraft and causing flight accidents. Here, we developed a lightweight and conformable system on the wing surface of aircraft for stall sensing. Quantitative data about airflow turbulence and the degree of boundary layer separation are provided in situ using conjunct signals provided by both triboelectric and piezoelectric effects. Thus, the system can visualize and directly measure the airflow detaching process on the airfoil, and senses the degree of airflow separation during and after a stall for large aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. Early warning of the airflow separation and monitoring of the stall status is critical for the safety of flying aircraft. Here authors introduce a lightweight and conformable system on the wing surface of aircraft that can sense and warn the pre-stall.