An airfoil for flow control is disclosed having an outer skin in contact with an ambient air flow, wherein the outer skin extends between a leading edge and a trailing edge with two opposite lateral sides, and surrounds an interior space. The outer skin comprises a porous section in the area of the leading edge, a pressure chamber arranged in the interior space and fluidly connected to the porous section, an air inlet fluidly connected to the pressure chamber, and an air outlet fluidly connected to the pressure chamber.

A flow body for an aircraft includes a recess in a surface of the flow body, a first structural component with a porous material and may also include a second structural component with a porous material. The recess includes a front recess region and a rear recess region. The first structural component is arranged in, or on, the front recess region and the second structural component may be arranged in, or on, the rear recess region. An aircraft having the flow body, a weapons system having the flow body and a method for manufacturing a flow body for a vehicle are also described.

An flow body comprises a curved suction skin having a first perforation, a leading edge and two skin sections extending therefrom, wherein each skin section has an outer end facing away from the leading edge, an interior suction duct having a second perforation and extending through an inside of the curved suction skin in a distance from the leading edge, and two sidewall members, connected to the outer ends, wherein the sidewall members are made of a composite material. The suction skin comprises a profiled contour shape, which determines a pressure distribution over at least one of the two skin sections when air flows over the curved suction skin, wherein the pressure distribution comprises a stagnation point, a suction peak and a subsequent local pressure maximum downstream of the suction peak, wherein the first perforation extends from a stagnation point on the suction skin to the local pressure maximum.

A noise attenuation element can be arranged for connection to an air directing structure such as a wing flap. The element has a non-uniform lattice density across at least a portion of the body of the element.

An aircraft structure (11) for flow control including a perforated panel (13) having an inner surface (15) directed to a structure interior (17), an outer surface (19) in contact with an ambient flow (21), and a plurality of micro pores (23) connecting the inner and outer surfaces (15, 19). Weight reduction and maintaining required fatigue strength of the structure may be achieved because one or more elongate crack stopper elements (25) are attached to the inner surface (15) of the perforated panel (13), and the crack stopper elements (25) are configured to inhibit crack propagation within the perforated panel (13).

A leading edge structure for an aerofoil is disclosed. The leading edge structure includes a skin configured to form an external aerodynamic surface of the aerofoil. The skin includes a plurality of first regions interleaved with a plurality of second regions. Each first region includes a plurality of holes extending through the skin, and each second region includes an electrical heating system configured to increase the temperature of the skin.

A boundary-layer-influencing aerodynamic part comprises a carrier element provided with at least one air passage aperture for guiding an air flow through the carrier element, an air guiding layer disposed on the carrier element and a cover layer constituting at least a part of a flow surface and being configured to have air flow there through at least in sections. The air guiding layer is configured to have air flow there through with an air flow supplied to the part, at least in certain operating phases of the part, through the cover layer and flowing in the direction of the carrier element or through the air passage aperture of the carrier element and flowing in the direction of the cover layer. The cover layer is applied directly to the air guiding layer via an additive manufacturing method.

Method and apparatus for controlling the aerodynamics of an aircraft using an active flow control system is disclosed herein. In one example, the active flow control system includes an airframe and a plurality of fluidic oscillators. The airframe includes an inlet configured for flight speeds ranging from subsonic to hypersonic. The plurality of fluidic oscillators is mounted about a curvature of the airframe. Each fluidic oscillator includes a body and an integral nozzle coupled to the body. The body has an inflow portion and a narrow nozzle inlet formed opposite the inflow portion. The integral nozzle is coupled to the body by the narrow nozzle inlet. The narrow nozzle inlet forms a single fluid flow path from the inflow portion to the narrow nozzle inlet.

A leading edge structure (11) for a flow control system of an aircraft (1) including a leading edge panel (13) surrounding a plenum (17) that extends in a span direction (19). The leading edge panel (13) has a first side portion (21) extending from a leading edge point (23) to a first attachment end (25) and a second side portion (27) opposite the first side portion (21), extending from the leading edge point (23) to a second attachment end (29), wherein the leading edge panel (13) comprises an inner surface (33) facing the plenum (17) and an outer surface (37) in contact with an ambient flow (39), and wherein the leading edge panel (13) comprises a plurality of micro pores (45) forming a fluid connection between the plenum (17) and the ambient flow (39).

A laminar flow control surface having a foraminous section (also referred to below as a foraminous portion, 251) of a skin (250) of a vehicle to permit low temperature fluid to flow through the foraminous section to a heat exchanger (236), to reduce drag of the vehicle and to dissipate heat from the heat exchanger. The foraminous section (251) and the heat exchanger (236) synergistically reduce drag and transfer heat from the heat exchanger. The vehicle may be an aircraft with a laminar flow control system including a foraminous portion on a leading edge of the aircraft. While the aircraft is in flight, a portion of air impinging near the foraminous portion may flow laminarly about the leading edge, and another portion of the impingingair may flow through the foraminous portion to a heat exchanger to transfer heat from the heat exchanger to the air.