Page 48 - Jetpower (January 2020)

046-047 Eurofighter Smoke:Layout 1 Englisch 09.01.2020 13:52 Uhr Seite 46

JP TIGER WITH EFFECT
Text/Pictures: Gunter Zielke

Wake vortices

on the jet model

We are all familiar with the wake vortices that occur at the wingtips of man-carrying jets when they
fly through tight curves at high speed. Due to the extreme negative pressure at the wingtips, the water
contained in the air condenses and is visible as white wake vortices.

With our jet models, this effect cannot be achieved even in wings are activated and generate a white wake vortex, just like
extreme manoeuvres, as the moving masses are simply not lar- in the original. In my Eurofighter I have set the limit value to 4g.
ge enough. The G-Force-SmokeDriver was developed to simu- This means that whenever the acceleration in tight turns, ups
late this effect. A three-axis MEMS sensor is built into this small and downs exceeds 4g (positive or negative), a well visible whi-
electronic unit, which weighs only 50 grams. This sensor mea- te wake vortex wake is generated. The smoke system consists
sures and processes the acceleration force in the jet model. If mainly of the smoke pipes, the SmokeDriver, a small smoke
the set limit value (2 - 7g) is exceeded, the smoke pipes on the pump and the 300 ml tank for the smoke oil.

46 JETPOWER 1/2020