EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF NEW ELECTRO-ACTIVE POLYMERS-BASED PLASMA ACTUATORS FOR FLOW CONTROL AND ICE MITIGATION APPLICATIONS

The current work introduces a new device for effective flow control and ice removal applications based on the combination of a non-thermal plasma discharge with the excitation of an electroactive polymer membrane. This new device designated electroactive polymer (EAP) plasma actuator is particularly interesting for aeronautic and wind power applications since it allows to perform simultaneous flow control and ice removal operations. To prove the concept, in the current work, electroactive polymers-based plasma actuator devices are fabricated and experimentally tested. For the initial tests a "VHB 4910" from 3M was used as dielectric layer and electrically conductive grease was utilized to fabricate the flexible electrodes. Initial tests demonstrate that the electro active polymer selected is able to sustain the levels of voltages needed to generate the plasma discharge. The new EAP device is tested and compared with conventional Kapton plasma actuators with conventional copper tape electrodes and flexible electrodes. The preliminary results demonstrate that this new concept is feasible, and the EAP plasma actuator is able to generate induced flow velocities similar to the conventional Kapton actuator however needs to be implemented with higher thicknesses Finally, it is worth mentioning that this new EAP actuator brings several other advantages, mainly for deicing purposes since the electro-active polymer movement will difficult the ice adhesion and help to expel the ice from the surface.