Patent ID: 8473122

Claim:
A method for actively deforming, by feedback control, an aerodynamic profile comprising an elastic material, applied to a part of the surface of the aerodynamic profile, said elastic material being in contact with a fluid flow; said elastic material being able to be deformed by one or more shape memory actuators), placed in contact with the elastic material, said actuators being controlled by a computer connected to sensors, said method comprising at least the following steps: measurements of physical fluid flow condition variables by the sensors; transmissions of the measured physical flow condition variables to the computer; detection of possible transition points between a laminar flow and a turbulent flow of the fluid over the elastic material according to the measured physical flow condition variables; calculation of a deformation to be applied to the elastic material according to positions of the detected transition points; calculation of one or more set points to be applied by one or more actuators to obtain the deformation to be applied to the elastic material; transmission of the calculated set point to the actuators; deformation of the elastic material by the actuators; measurement of the actual deformation of the elastic material; calculation of a new set point to be applied by one or more actuators according to the actual deformation of the elastic material.