A system includes a surface, an actuator, and processing circuitry. The surface includes one or more non-actuating zones and one or more actuatable zones. The actuator is configured to a flow property of a fluid that flows over the one or more actuatable zones of the surface. The processing circuitry is configured to obtain a value of a parameter of the fluid that flows over the surface, and operate the actuator to adjust the flow property of the fluid that flows over the one or more actuatable zones based on the value of the parameter of the fluid.

A method and apparatus for generating a wave in a body of water may include altering a flow of water as it is urged through an inlet, contoured passage, and outlet. For example, a primary flow of water may be altered so that one or more secondary flows are created at angles to the direction of primary flow.

A removable passive airflow oscillation device can be disposed within a pressurized wing structure utilized as a plenum. The passive airflow oscillation device can be a removable insert disposed into exterior vehicle surfaces with pressurization of a sealed chamber to provide the airflow. The device can include a cavity configured to receive the airflow from an ingress opening, direct the airflow therethrough to generate a predetermined oscillating airflow, and expel the oscillatory airflow from the egress opening. The removable passive airflow oscillation devices can provide quick and simple replacement and maintenance of damaged or clogged devices. The aft chamber of the flap seal can be sealed and pressurized to serve as a plenum providing the airflow to the actuators. The device can receive airflow, such as compressor air, and expel an oscillating airflow. Because each device is self-contained the number of devices and location thereof can vary by application.

A lift control device actively controls the lift force on a lifting surface. The device has a protuberance near a trailing edge of its lifting surface, which causes flow to separate from the lifting surface, generating regions of low pressure and high pressure which combine to increase the lift force on the lifting surface. The device further includes a means to keep the flow attached around the protuberance or to modify the position of the protuberance in response to a command from a central controller, so as to provide an active control of the lift between a maximum value and a minimum value.

Methods described herein provide a way to reduce or eliminate drag and adhesion of a substance flowing over a surface by creating a vapor cushion via evaporation of a phase-changing material of or on the surface or encapsulated within textures of the surface. The vapor cushion causes the flowing substance to be suspended over the surface, greatly reducing friction, drag, and adhesion between the flowing substance and the surface. The temperature of the flowing substance is above the sublimation point and/or melting point of the phase-changing material. The phase-changing material undergoes a phase change (evaporation or sublimation) upon contact with the flowing substance due to local heat transfer from the flowing substance to the material, generating a vapor cushion between the solid or liquid material and the flowing substance.

A method and apparatus for generating a wave in a body of water may include altering a flow of water as it is urged through an inlet, contoured passage, and outlet. For example, a primary flow of water may be altered so that one or more secondary flows are created at angles to the direction of primary flow.

A removable passive airflow oscillation device can be disposed within a pressurized wing structure utilized as a plenum. The passive airflow oscillation device can be a removable insert disposed into exterior vehicle surfaces with pressurization of a sealed chamber to provide the airflow. The device can include a cavity configured to receive the airflow from an ingress opening, direct the airflow therethrough to generate a predetermined oscillating airflow, and expel the oscillatory airflow from the egress opening. The removable passive airflow oscillation devices can provide quick and simple replacement and maintenance of damaged or clogged devices. The aft chamber of the flap seal can be sealed and pressurized to serve as a plenum providing the airflow to the actuators. The device can receive airflow, such as compressor air, and expel an oscillating airflow. Because each device is self-contained the number of devices and location thereof can vary by application.

A bullhead-shaped grooved diversion jet and empennage swing vibration suppression device and method. The device consists of an impeller diversion module and a drainage rotary cover module. The impeller diversion module consists of a center impeller, sleeve bearings, small impellers, and small impeller rotating shafts. The drainage rotary cover module consists of a drainage front cover, a perforated jet rear cover, and empennages. The device is mounted on an outer wall of a riser in a sleeving manner. Under a combined action of drainage and space allocation of horizontal rectangular grooves, flow rate distribution of the center impeller, flow direction adjustment of the small impellers, diversion of lateral diversion holes, jet flows of side rear reducing holes, flowing space division and wake vortex turbulence of rotary swinging empennages, around-flow boundary layers at two sides and a tail of the riser are deeply damaged, which suppresses the formation of large vortexes.

An article with controllable wettability includes a substrate and a layer of a composite material supported on the substrate. The layer has an exposed surface and the composite material includes particles that have controllable polarization embedded fully or partially in a matrix. A controller is operable to selectively apply a controlled variable activation energy to the layer. The controllable polarization of the particles varies responsive to the controlled variable activation energy such that a wettability of the exposed surface also varies responsive to the controlled variable activation energy.

The invention discloses a method and modified aerodynamic apparatuses: fluid pushers-off and fluid motion-sensors, making enable efficient implementation and use of a controllable enhanced jet-effect, either the waving jet-effect, the Coanda jet-effect, the lift-effect, the effect of thrust, the Venturi effect, and/or the de Laval jet-effect, all are controllable using the Peltier effect and/or the Seebeck effect. The modified aerodynamic apparatuses are geometrically shaped and supplied with built-in thermoelectric devices, wherein the presence of the thermoelectric devices provides for new functional properties of the modified aerodynamic apparatuses. The method solves the problem of effective control of the operation of modified aerodynamic apparatuses such as airfoil wings of a flying vehicle, convergent-divergent nozzles, loudspeakers, and detectors of acoustic waves, all of a highly-efficient functionality.