BAE Systems have been developing hot-film sensors for the detection and monitoring of laminar/turbulent flow on a wing. The sensors are constructed using silicon manufacturing techniques, with the ultimate aim of making them capable of being certified for flight. Primarily, this has involved looking at aspects of the sensor design, such as the robustness of the sensors to raindrop impacts and their resistance to environmental degradation. Tests done to date have shown that provided the sensors have a thin protective coating of a few microns thickness and are not installed close to the leading-edge of a wing they should be capable of being certified for flight.
References
1.
WarsopC., “AEROMEMS an Investigation into the viability of MEMS Technology for Boundary Layer Control on Aircraft” CEC 4th Framework Project, Final Technical Report, Published 2001.
2.
WarsopC., “Results and Lessons Learned from the European AEROMEMS II Project,” AIAA Paper 2006–3503.
3.
WarsopC., “AEROMEMS-II: A European Research Effort to Develop MEMS Based Flow Control Technologies,” AIAA Paper 2004-2209.
