Electrohydrodynamic Plasma Actuator for Active Flow Control: From Micropumps to Space Thrusters

Dear Colleagues,

The electrohydrodynamic effect (Biefeld‒Brown effect) has been known since 1929, although the history of electrohydrodynamics (EHD) is much older, with its observation dating back to 1629 by Niccolo Cabeo. However, the discovery of EHD is officially recognized as being by Hauksbee in the early 18th century.

For a long time, EHD was called ionic wind, with Faraday describing ionic wind as a momentum-transfer process caused by friction or collision between charged and neutral particles in an ionized gas. In the last year of the 19th century, Chattock indicated that his investigations of EHD pointed to a pressure difference. In the mid-1960s, Severesky patented the first propulsion system based on EHD. Currently, there are many other applications of the EHD effect, such as boundary layer enhancement, fluid pumping, and heat transfer improvement. EHD is therefore a discipline with enormous potential for research and application in various disciplinary fields.

This Special Issue of Actuators aims to provide a forum for academic and professional researchers, developers, and producers to share cutting-edge findings and advance the application of Electrohydrodynamics systems. We intend for high-value articles to be published, whether in theoretical interpretation or in modeling and simulation, and especially with an experimental character and presenting experimental results that allow for comparing theoretical models with experience.

The following are only several of the major topics that this Special Issue plans to cover:

- Advances on the modeling of EHD phenomena;

- EHD thrust in space and EHD space thrusters;

- EHD atmospheric thrusters;

- EHD flow and heat transfer improvement;

- EHD boundary layer enhancement;

- EHD fluid pumps and micropumps;

- EHD pumps for semiconductor cooling;

- EHD drying and evaporation;

- EHD for enhanced flame/combustion.

Prof. Dr. Paulo Manuel de Araújo Sá
Prof. Dr. Mario J. Pinheiro
Guest Editors

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• plasma actuators
• actuators using ionized gases
• ionic wind actuators
• EHD plasma propulsion actuators
• lifter
• electrical aircraft propulsion actuators
• electrohydrodynamic flow actuators
• EHD-enhanced drying actuators
• actuators for electronics cooling
• actuators for heat transfer improvement
• actuators for boundary layer enhancement
• actuators for EHD pumps
• actuators for flame
• combustion control

Title: Research on ground dynamics characteristics of the skid-equipped aircraft based on semi-physical test
Authors: Ni Huajin, Liang Taotao, Su Wei, Yin Yin, Wei xiaohui, Nie Hong
Affiliation: College of Aerospace Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing
Abstract: To address the issue of poor course stability during the ground rollout of traditional non-active deviation correction skid-equipped aircraft, a variable friction skid landing gear and its deviation correction control method are proposed to improve the course stability of the aircraft. The effectiveness has been validated through semi-physical test technology. First, a six-degree-of-freedom ground rollout dynamics model of the aircraft, which considers aerodynamic loads, gravity, buffer loads, and ground loads, was established. An adaptive fuzzy control theory is used to design the deviation correction control system. Subsequently, the ground rollout deviation correction performance of the aircraft is simulated and analyzed under various typical conditions, such as yaw angle, yaw displacement, and the influence of crosswinds. Finally, a semi-physical test verification platform is established, which consists of prototypes of a stabilizing skid landing gear and a deviation correction controller , and a virtual model of the aircraft’s ground rollout. The simulation results under typical conditions are compared and verified with the test results. The results indicate that the variable friction skid landing gear can greatly improve the deviation correction performance of the aircraft, effectively solving the problem of poor course stability of traditional skid landing gear.