Message posted by Smythers (Member since 01/10/2010) on March 18, 2023 at 18:50:09 PST:
Active wing: A wing that uses 'active' (hence the name!) methods to control, steer, manipulate and utilize the incoming air to maximum potential with an aim to create what is called laminar flow. Now, the reason behind the multiple-decades research is to create a wing that performs to its maximum potential in the air, and thus creates the lowest amount of drag possible. Think of laminar flow as super smooth, neat, organized air that does what we want - Provides lots of lift and doesn't drag us down! (Ever ran your hands through the water as you scoot along in a boat? Side profile is great, but there are little eddies behind the hand as the flow is disturbed. Same thing, but with air!) That is one part of the active wing. Getting flow organized for lots of lift so we can fly further and higher on less fuel (lots less fuel!) The second part of the B-21 active wing goes even further, as it actively bends the rear of the wing to provide the airflow a sleek 'channel' if you will, for our smooth air to rush across and away. How does this aid us? Well, it provides even more amounts of lift, reduces drag even further, and also steers around the sides of the exhaust plume, cooling the heat from the exhausts even further than they already have been, which further lowers an aircraft's IR signature (impacts its 'stealthy' signature in that energetic medium (IR)). Following on from the rear of the wing adapting to flight conditions and steering the flow, they have also adopted a system where they take air from the powerplant, surge it through vanes in the wing, and blow it across and out through small slots, and this creates a three-fold capability: Extra lift, extra control authority (steering) without using any external flaps, and reducing even further the IR footprint. see where this is going? Active wing: Flies higher, further, with more control authority and massively improved signature reduction. Quite the win. Hope that makes sense.
My profuse apologize. Sometimes my posts are not the deepest or clearest to understand.
In short then: An active wing is one that bends for the best lift, adapts for the best profile (Cruising from A to B, or loitering around point C) at differing speeds and altitudes, and offers greater levels of control authority in an aircraft that doesn't want to be using flaps to steer it around the skies, and as a sweet, sweet rewards, offers massively improved level of signature reduction (stealth!).
In Reply to: Re: ADVENT and the B-21 posted by noskcaJ on March 18, 2023 at 18:09:32 PST:
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