This paper reviews and highlights recent developments of certain aspects of flow control concerned with reducing the drag of, and delaying flow separation on, wings and bodies over which the flow is turbulent. The study is restricted to devices that extend beyond the viscous sub-layer but are on a smaller scale than geometric features of the aircraft (e.g. wing chord).

The review is mainly concerned with developments within the UK, although significant developments in other countries are discussed.

The review discusses types of flow that need to be controlled, basic features of flow control devices and applications. It concludes with recommendations for future research.

The modelling and vibration of composite thin-walled pre-twisted rotating blades of non-uniform cross-sections along their span, and featuring the extension-twist elastic coupling are addressed. To this end, Hamilton’s principle is used to derive the equations of motion and the associated boundary conditions. In addition to the pretwist and warping restraint, the exotic properties of advanced composite material are used, and the efficiency of implementing the tailoring technique toward the enhancement, without weight penalties, of the vibratory behaviour of rotating blades is illustrated. Comparisons between the predictions by both Wagner’s and Washizu’s approaches are presented, and pertinent conclusions regarding the implications of the various geometrical and physical characteristics of the blade are outlined.

The ever expanding range of applications for unmanned air vehicles covers a wide variety of powerplant requirements. While many vehicles are high value assets and demand similar powerplant attributes to a conventional manned aircraft, there is an emerging requirement for powerplants which are designed to a limited life philosophy. This covers a range of applications: at the simplest level there are vehicles where the mission definition dictates that attrition rates will be high, for example low level reconnaissance, targeting or battle damage assessment, and the entire vehicle may only be expected to make a short number of missions. On the other hand there are applications where it may be more cost effective to remove the need for engine maintenance and to treat the powerplant as a disposable limited life unit.

In general, the industry trend is towards the reduction of life cycle costs, and a significant emphasis is placed upon continuing to increase aero-engine component lives though novel design and improved manufacturing techniques. A limited life application calls for a different approach, as it may be that the powerplant has a life requirement of anywhere between 50 and 250 hours. This allows scope to explore areas of design and manufacture which would not be suitable for a ‘conventional’ engine and can lead to large reductions in engine cost.

This paper seeks to identify the primary cost drivers for a small UAV powerplant in the 10kN thrust class, and to establish the relationships between cost, life and performance at both a whole engine and an individual component level. It also explores the feasibility of using new or unconventional designs and manufacturing methods, and presents a selection of examples.