The control mechanism of a nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (NS-DBD) actuator for suppressing laminar separation on airfoils was investigated using two-dimensional scale-adaptive simulations. To model the control effect of the NS-DBD actuator, a surface heating approach based on the analytical solution for transient one-dimensional heat conduction has been used. The focus of the investigation lies in the study of vortex formation and evolution induced by the actuator. A NACA 0015 profile was simulated at 14° with 250,000 chord-based Reynolds number. Regarding energy deposition, a low-energy case and a high-energy case were simulated. Several actuation parameters were varied, including the electrode position and surface temperature. In addition, the influence of constant and temperature-dependent modeling of the kinematic viscosity was investigated. The results for the time-averaged pressure coefficients show excellent agreement with measurement results. High grid resolution in the boundary layer allowed a detailed investigation of the vortex formation process. The main finding is that vortices are generated by baroclinic torque and vortex dilatation and not by a Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. Initially, tiny vortices form at the beginning of the separation region. Subsequently, these vortices are carried downstream and grow in size, thus preventing full separation due to momentum transfer from the external flow.

Airfoil stall influences the performance of flight vehicles and remains a challenge for the design of modern aircraft. A Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) device seems to be a promising tool to control the flow over various parts of an aircraft and to suppress separation. A phenomenological model based on dynamic similarity is developed to simulate the control effect of a Nanosecond Dielectric Barrier Discharge (NS‐DBD) actuator. A two‐dimensional numerical simulation considers the response of the flow past a NACA 0015 airfoil at 14° post stall angle of attack and a Reynolds number of 250,000 to pulsed surface heating at the leading edge. The RANS‐based numerical results have been obtained for a baseline simulation (no actuation) and an open‐loop control simulation of the airfoil. A one‐equation local correlation‐based transition model is implemented to capture laminar‐turbulent transition. The numerical results of both the baseline and the actuated case are in good agreement with experiments performed by other authors.

Paddle boats like canoes and kayaks draw a sinusoidal path when a linear movement is intended. The reason for this behavior is that each paddle stroke induces a lateral movement of the boat. In this study, we sought to reduce the so-called yawing motion. We therefore replaced the stiff stern by a flexible stern, which is based on the Fin Ray Effect R . We built down-scaled boat models and tested them in a water channel. The similarities between experimental and original setup were evaluated by means of a dimensional analysis. (Thermoplastic) elastomers with various flexibility were used for the stern construction. In the experiments conducted in the water channel, we determined the forces acting on the boat with different stern models. The results reveal that the flexible stern induced a torque counteracting the boat's deflection, while the stiff stern caused a torque enhancing it. A paddle boat with a flexible stern could hence be a promising new method to reduce the boat's yawing movement.