Flow Manipulation and Turbulence Control in Aerodynamic Systems

Dear Colleagues,

Flow manipulation and turbulence control are central to advancing the performance, efficiency, and operational robustness of aerodynamic systems. In aerospace applications, unsteady flow phenomena such as separation, turbulence, and transient loading strongly influence lift, drag, noise, structural loading, and energy consumption across a wide range of operating conditions. Similar challenges also arise in ground transportation and industrial flow systems, where aerodynamic losses and unsteady flow structures limit system efficiency, reliability, and overall performance. This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in manipulating and controlling turbulent and unsteady flows relevant to aerospace and aerodynamic systems, with contributions addressing both fundamental flow physics and applied control strategies across a broad range of Reynolds numbers, flow regimes, and realistic operating environments. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, external aerodynamics, internal and propulsion-related flows, and complex flow environments representative of real-world aerospace and transportation systems.

This Special Issue covers a wide range of flow-control approaches, including passive, active, and hybrid strategies. Submissions may consider open- or closed-loop actuation and control, localized or distributed actuation, and control methodologies ranging from physics-based approaches to emerging data-driven and machine-learning-assisted frameworks. Actuation techniques of interest include surface-based modifications, synthetic or pulsed jets, plasma actuators, morphing surfaces, and feedback-driven control systems. Experimental, numerical, and theoretical studies are welcome, with particular emphasis on contributions that demonstrate measurable improvements in aerodynamic performance, such as enhanced mixing, reduced drag or noise, improved flow stability, reduced energy consumption, or increased system efficiency. By bringing together developments in flow physics, actuation, and control, this Special Issue seeks to provide a focused overview of current and emerging strategies for turbulence control in aerospace-relevant aerodynamic systems.

Dr. Ronald Hanson
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• flow manipulation
• turbulence control
• active and passive flow control
• unsteady aerodynamics
• aerodynamic efficiency
• closed-loop control
• data-driven flow control