Aerodynamic technologies to improve aircraft performance

An Air Transport System has become an indispensable part of Europe's economic infrastructure. The Commercial Aeronautics Sector is well aware that it has to find an acceptable balance between the constant fierce competitive pressures upon it and the public's expectations of cheaper fares but reduced environmental impact including community noise around airports and global warming. In order to achieve such a balance in the future, a strategy is required for competitive excellence dedicated to meeting society's needs. The realization of this vision cannot be achieved without significant technology breakthroughs in the area of aerodynamics and other disciplines such as materials and structures. Improved aerodynamic designs and the introduction of new aerodynamic technologies should play not only a key role in improving aircraft performance but, also, contribute strongly to product cost and operability. Substantial R&T exploration and development require to be conducted in order to provide the required technologies. In this work, a review of those technologies which show a potential to deliver breakthrough improvements in the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft is shown. The focus of this report is on new aircraft configurations to reduce induced drag and noise, laminar and turbulent drag reduction technologies and flow control devices, which aims to improve the performance of the airplane under separated flow conditions of unsteady nature, and to reduce the complex high-lift devices. Most of these works have been exposed in previous KATnet conferences (Key Aerodynamic Technologies for Aircraft Performance Improvement), although a general overview of the current status of these technologies is included. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.