L’amélioration des performances aérodynamiques et environnementales est un enjeu majeur dans le domaine des transports terrestres et aériens. Pour pouvoir répondre à ses exigences, une des solutions est de contrôler les écoulements. Pour cela, des actionneurs performants sont nécessaires. Une technique innovante, le jet synthétique par plasma (JSP), consiste à appliquer une décharge haute tension dans une micro cavité. Un plasma est ainsi créé dans la chambre augmentant en quelques microsecondes la température et la pression du gaz générant un micro-jet par l’orifice de l’actionneur. Le but de la thèse est de développer cet actionneur, d’en comprendre son fonctionnement et de le mettre en oeuvre pour contrôler le bruit d’un jet subsonique à grand nombre de Mach.La première partie de l’étude s’applique à définir les besoins pour le contrôle d’écoulement et de réaliser un prototype d’actionneur. Il est ensuite caractérisé expérimentalement par des mesures de la décharge électrique et de l’aérodynamique du micro-jet. En s’inspirant du modèle de Braginskii, un modèle simple de la décharge électrique est réalisé et appliqué au JSP. Le rendement de l’actionneur en est déduit. Le modèle de Braginskii modifié est ensuite couplé à une modélisation URANS ce qui permet de simuler le fonctionnement en fréquence de l’actionneur. Ces résultats sont ensuite comparés avec les mesures de l’aérodynamique du micro-jet et montrent un excellent accord.L’actionneur est ensuite mis en application pour contrôler le bruit de jet. En premier lieu, des visualisations par strioscopie de l’interaction des micro-jets avec le jet principal sont effectuées. Des mesures acoustiques sont ensuite réalisées etmettent en évidence que les JSP sont de bons candidats pour contrôler le bruit de jet. / Improvement of aerodynamics and environmental performances is a major issue for terrestrial and aeronautical industry.For fulfilling increasing demand, one of the answers is flow control. To achieve flow control, high performance actuators are needed. An innovative technique called Plasma Synthetic Jet actuator consists on applying an electrical discharge in asmall cavity. Plasma is created and increases gas temperature and pressure which results on the creation of a micro-jet through cavity opening.The PhD objectives are to develop the PSJ actuator, to describe actuator mechanisms and to apply it for controlling noise of a high subsonic jet. The first part of the study consists on defining flow control needs and on developing a PSJ actuator prototype. Then,actuator performances are characterised using electrical measurements of the discharge and using aerodynamic measurements. These measurements show that an electrical model of the discharge is needed. Based on the Braginskii model, a simple model is carried out and is applied to the actuator. Efficiency of the PSJ is deduced.The modified Braginskii model is then coupled with an URANS model to achieve frequency modelling of the actuator. Results match aerodynamics measurements .PSJ actuators are applied for controlling jet noise in a second part of the study. Schlieren visualisations are used to show micro-jet interaction with the main jet. Acoustic measurements are then performed and show that the PSJ is a goodactuator to control high subsonic jet noise.

Cette thèse CIFRE est le fruit d’une collaboration entre Renault Trucks et le LMFA dans la perspective d’une évaluation de la pertinence du contrôle actif pour la réduction de traînée de véhicule industriel. Les deux principaux objectifs de ces travaux expérimentaux consistent à l’analyse de l’influence de l’écoulement de soubassement sur la dynamique du sillage et l’étude d’une stratégie de contrôle d’écoulement combinant des volets déflecteurs (positionnés sur les bords supérieurs et latéraux du culot) à des actionneurs de type jets pulsés dans l’optique d’une réduction de la traînée aérodynamique d’un corps non profilé à culot droit. Le développement du sillage pour différentes vitesses de soubassement évoluant de 10% à plus de 80% de la vitesse de l’écoulement infini amont est étudié sur une maquette simplifiée de véhicule poids lourd à l’échelle 1/43e. Des mesures de pression au culot permettent d’identifier quatre classes d’écoulement associées à des structures de sillage différentes mises en évidence par des mesures PIV 2D-3C. Le sillage de la première classe d’écoulement obtenu pour les très faibles vitesses de soubassement ressemble au sillage derrière une marche 3D. Pour des vitesses de soubassement plus élevées, l’écoulement de soubassement décolle au niveau du sol et impacte soit le culot ou soit la couche de cisaillement supérieure favorisant le développement des instabilités de type Kelvin-Helmoltz dans ce dernier cas. Enfin, la dernière classe est caractérisée par un sillage comparable à celui d’un corps d’Ahmed. L’ajout de volets déflecteurs à l’arrière du culot engendre une augmentation de la pression au culot pour l’ensemble des classes d’écoulement. Cette augmentation réside principalement dans l’effet de vectorisation de l’écoulement. Un système de contrôle actif est intégré sur une maquette 1/8e géométriquement identique à celle à l’échelle 1/43e et équipée de volets déflecteurs. Deux angles de volet supérieur sont testés afin d’obtenir en moyenne (i) un écoulement naturel attaché à la paroi du volet et (ii) un écoulement naturel détaché du volet. Par rapport au cas sans contrôle actif, des gains sur la traînée sont obtenus pour une certaine gamme de fréquence d’actionnement uniquement dans le cas (ii). Ces gains sont obtenus suite au recollement de l’écoulement sur le volet. Enfin, la robustesse des gains sur la pression au culot est testée avec succès en mettant la maquette en dérapage pour simuler un vent de travers. / This PhD thesis was realized in the scope of a collaboration with Renault Trucks and the LMFA in view of an evaluation of the relevance of active flow control for the drag reduction industrial vehicle. The two main objectives of this experimental work are to analyze the impact of the underbody flow on the wake dynamics and to study a flow control strategy combining inclined flaps (located on the upper and lateral edges of the rear base) with pulsed jet actuators for reducing the aerodynamic drag of a square-back bluff body. The wake development for several underbody velocities ranging from 10% to more than 80% of the free-stream velocity is studied on a simplified truck model at scale 1 :43. Rear base pressure measurements lead to the identification of four flow classes associated with different wake structures highlighted by 2D-3C PIV measurements. The wake of the first flow class obtained for very low underbody velocities looks like that of the wake of a 3D backward facing step. For higher underbody velocities, the underbody flow is separated from the ground impaging either the rear base or the upper shear layer triggering Kelvin-Helmoltz instabilities for this last case. Finally, the fourth class is characterized by a wake comparable to that of the Ahmed body. The implementation of inclined flaps at the rear base increases the base pressure for all classes. This increase is mainly due to the vectoring effect of the flow. An active control system is integrated to a 1 :8 scale model geometrically identical to that of the 1 :43 scale model with flaps. Two upper flap angles are tested to have (i) a natural flow attached to the flap and (ii) a natural flow detached from the flap. In comparison to the case without active flow control, drag reductions are obtained only for a specific range of actuation frequencies only in case (ii). These gains are associated with the reattachment of the flow on the flap. Finally, the robustness of the pressure gains is successfully tested in crosswind conditions.

Une modélisation d'ordre réduit basée sur le partitionnement des données (cluster-based reduced-order modelling ou CROM) est développée pour identifier de manière non supervisée des mécanismes d'interaction non linéaires. La connaissance de ces mécanismes permet de pronostiquer la formation d’événements souhaitables ou non. L’approche proposée adopteun point de vue probabiliste en mettant à profit la linéarité de l’équation d’évolution de probabilité qui tient cependant compte d'éventuelles actions non linéaires des actionneurs. Le cadre est appliqué à l’attracteur de Lorenz, aux données numériques de la couche de mélange, à la turbulence tridimensionnelle du sillage d’un corps non profilé, d’un train, et aux données expérimentales d’un moteur à combustion.Pour ces exemples, le CROM permettait l'identification des quasi-attracteurs par exemple les deux régimes d’écoulement de la couche de mélange ou les états bimodaux du corps Ahmed . Les transitions principales entre ces quasi-attracteurs sont caractérisées par des regroupements de données appelé « flipper cluster ». L'identification de ces « flipper cluster » peut servir pour le contrôle des écoulements en utilisant le partitionnement des données obtenues par exemple de l'évolution temporelle de la traînée ou de la portance.Un contrôle en boucle fermé basé sur la CROM est appliqué à un écoulement le long d'une rampe courbée en vue de diminuer les extensions de la zone de recirculation par rapport à la meilleure excitation périodique en boucle ouverte. L'actionneur est mis en marche en fonction des regroupements préalablement observés. Le résultat est comparé à l’ensemble des lois de contrôle définies par toutes les combinaisons possibles des « on » et « of » par les regroupements de données. Bien quele contrôle basé sur la CROM ne permet pas de réduire la zone de recirculation par rapport à la réduction maximale en boucle ouverte, 28 % de l'apport d 'énergie nécessaire et 81 % pour une loi de contrôle particulière peuvent être économisé. / A cluster-based reduced-order modeling strategy is developed for the unsupervised identification of nonlinear flow mechanisms and precursors to desirable or undesirable events. The proposed approach assumes a probabilistic viewpoint taking advantage of the linearity of the evolution equation for the probability while including nonlinear actuation dynamics.The framework is applied to the Lorenz attractor, numerical data of the spatially evolving mixing layer, the three-dimensional turbulent wake of a bluf body, of a train, and experimental data of a combustion engine.For these examples, CROM has been shown to identify quasi-attractors such as the two shedding regimes of the mixing layer or the bimodal states of the Ahmed body; main transition processes between those quasiattractors are characterized by branching regions or flipper cluster; desirable phase space regions and possible actuation mechanisms areindicated by analysis of cluster features like drag and lift forces which can be further exploited for control purposes.In particular, a CROM-based feedback control is applied to a separating flow over a smooth ramp to examine whether the recirculation area can be diminished compared to the best open-loop periodic excitation by turning the actuation on or of depending on the applicable cluster. The CROMbased control is compared to the complete set of control laws defined byall possible combinations of 'on' and 'of' for the given set of clusters.While the recirculation area cannot be further decreased compared to the best open-loop forcing, a similar size can be achieved for 28% (CROMbased control) or 81% (one particular control law) savings in the control input energy.

A presente dissertação trata da implementação, em um equipamento de eletroforese capilar (CE) com detecção condutométrica sem contato (C4D), de um sistema de controle externo do fluxo eletrosmótico (EOF) via tensão radial externa (Vrad). Através do potencial externo, aplicado diretamente ao capilar, é possível ter o controle do fluxo eletrosmótico de CE, pois, de forma simplificada, esta prática acopla vetorialmente um potencial externo aplicado com o potencial através da solução tampão dentro do capilar. O emprego da técnica possibilitou o aumento de resolução de 2 aminoácidos - Leucina e Isoleucina, cujas mobilidades diferem apenas de 0,12 cm2.V-1.s-1 entre si, em ácido acético 500 mmol.L-1 com pH = 2,55. A estratégia empregada aqui foi a que denominamos de \"coluna capilar infinita\", na qual, com as sucessivas inversões na direção do EOF, conseguimos aprisionar, dentro da coluna capilar, espécies com mobilidade eletroforética menor que a mobilidade do EOF. A literatura descreve que a inversão do EOF se torna mais difícil com o aumento do pH. Foram realizados testes em eletrólitos contendo agentes inversores de fluxo como o CTAB, o CaCl2 e o BaCl2. Ambos os aditivos foram usados em concentrações muito baixas, nas quais foi mantida a direção normal do EOF, sendo que a utilizaçãode tais agentes teve a finalidade apenas de reduzir os grupos silanolatos em soluções de pH acima de 6,0. Tal estratégia proporcionou a reversão do EOF no sistema tampão MES/HIS, cujo pH estava em torno de 6,1. Por fim, a pesquisa gerou uma perspectiva interessante que é a possibilidade de se encontrar combinações de eletrólitos de corrida e surfactantes com o intuito de se estender a faixa de alcance do Vrad para valores altos de pH. / This work presents the implementation, in an equipment for capillary electrophoresis (CE) with contactless conductivity detection (C4D), of a system for external control of the electroosmotic flow (EOF) via external radial voltage (Vrad). Through external potential, directly applied to the capillary, the electroosmotic flow can be controlled, because this practice couples the applied external potential to the zeta potential through the buffer solution within the capillary. The use of the technique allowed the baseline resolution of two amino acids (Leucine and Isoleucine), whose mobilities differ only by 0,12 cm2.V-1.s-1, using acetic acid 500 mmol.L-1 at pH = 2,55 as the running electrolyte. The approach, called \"infinite capillary column\", consists in successive reversals in the direction of the EOF, trapping species within the capillary column with electrophoretic mobility smaller than the EOF mobility. Thus, the two amino acids were retained by a period of approximately 120 minutes in the capillary that was enough to promote the baseline resolution. Previous works describe that the reversion of the EOF becoming more difficult as pH increases. In order to achieve a more effective control of EOF at high pH values (limiting the technique to a narrow performance band), tests were carried out in electrolytes containing flow reversing agents such as CTAB, CaCI2 and BaCI2. These additives were used at very low concentrations, which kept the normal direction of EOF, and the use of such agents had only the purpuse of reducing the density of silanolate groups in solutions of pH above 6,0. This approach allowed the reversion of the EOF using MES/HIS buffer, which pH was 6,1. Finally, this research has generated an interesting perspective about the possibility of finding combinations of electrolytes and surfactants aiming the Vrad range´s extension at high pH values.

A realização deste trabalho tem como objetivo fundamental estudar os efeitos dos atuadores de jato sintético no escoamento de uma camada limite desenvolvida sobre uma placa plana e um aerofólio hipotético. A interação dos jatos sintéticos com um escoamento transversal pode conduzir a uma aparente modificação da forma aerodinâmica de corpos rombudos e, dessa forma, fornecer uma maneira de controle da separação na camada limite. Estudos recentes demonstram que tipos diferentes de escoamentos podem ser produzidos pelo atuador dependendo da oscilação da membrana. Um método numérico para solução das equações de Navier-Stokes incompressíveis bidimensionais na formulação vorticidade-velocidade é utilizado neste trabalho. As equações governantes são discretizadas utilizando-se métodos de diferenças finitas compactas de sexta ordem para as derivadas espaciais. A equação de Poisson para a componente da velocidade normal é resolvida por um método iterativo de sobre-relaxação em linhas sucessivas usando um esquema com malha composta para acelerar a convergência. Os resultados de simulações com diferentes valores de freqüência, amplitude e comprimento de fenda foram verificados através de uma análise de Fourier temporal. Através desta análise é verificado qual a melhor situação para se atrasar a separação da camada limite / This work has as a fundamental objective the study of the effects of synthetic jet actuators on the boundary layer flow on a flat plate and on a hypothetical airfoil. The interaction of synthetic jets with transverse flow can lead to an apparent modification in the aerodynamic shape of blunt bodies and, in that way, supply a means of control of transition within the boundary layer. Recent studies demonstrate that different types of flow may be produced by the actuator, depending on the amplitude of oscillation of the membrane. A numerical method for the solution of two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations written in vorticity-velocity formulation is used in this work. The spatial derivatives are discretized with a sixth order compact finite differences scheme. The Poisson equation for the normal velocity component is solved by an iterative line successive over relaxation method and uses a multigrid full approximation scheme to accelerate the convergence. The results of simulations with different values of frequency, amplitude and slot length were verified through a temporal Fourier analysis. By way of this analysis it is verified which are the better parameters for the controlled delay of boundary layer separation

Fluidos em uma descarga brilhante à pressão atmosférica usando uma barreira de dielétrico DBD atraiu o interesse das comunidades de termo-dinâmica, fluido-dinâmica, e comunidades de controle. Este trabalho investiga os efeitos de um atuador de plasma operando numa voltagem e frequência de 8 kV e 4.4 kHz sobre a curva do Cp de um cilindro de PVC em baixa velocidade de escoamento. O experimento foi repetido com o atuador em vários ângulos no cilindro. Os resultados mostram uma aceleração do escoamento junto com um atraso da separação. Esses efeitos são maiores quando o atuador é posicionado num ângulo mais próximo da região da separação. / Fluids in a dielectric barrier DBD glow discharge at atmospheric pressure attracted the interest of the communities of thermo and fluid dynamics as well as control. This dissertation investigates the effects of a plasma actuator operating at 8 kV and 4.4 kHz, on the Cp curve of a PVC cylinder in a low velocity airflow. The experiment was repeated with the actuator at various angles. The results show an acceleration of the flow accompanied with a delay of the flow separation. These effects were shown to be larger when the actuator was positioned at an angle closer to the region of separation.

Le contrôle des écoulements est un domaine en forte croissance visant à modifier un écoulement à l’aide d’actionneurs et d’algorithmes de contrôle. Un axe important du contrôle des écoulements est le contrôle des décollements car le décollement de la couche limite provoque des augmentations de traînée et donc des pertes énergétiques et des coûts en carburant. Cette thèse vise à développer des algorithmes de contrôles pour le recollement des écoulements à l’aide de jets pulsés. La première partie de cette thèse expose une technique d’identification de modèle basée sur des données expérimentales. Les modèles sont déduits de considérations physiques et de l’Automatique. Ils offrent une bonne correspondance aux données tout en restant simple et en contenant peu de coefficients. La seconde partie de cette thèse utilise ces modèles pour élaborer deux algorithmes de contrôle : le premier est un contrôle optimal en boucle ouverte et le second un contrôle robuste en boucle fermée. Ces algorithmes ont été implémentés sur diverses maquettes expérimentales (LML, ONERA, LAMIH) et leurs propriétés a été testée expérimentalement. Les tests ont été réalisés en utilisant un Arduino Uno pour les mesures et le calcul du contrôle, ce qui montre que la méthode développée est simple à appliquer et requiert peu de puissance de calcul / Flow control is a strongly growing field aiming at modifying fluid flows using actuators and control algorithms. An important part of flow control is the control of flow separation as boundary layer separation increases drag and therefore energy losses and fuel consumption. This thesis focuses on developing control algorithms for flow reattachment using pulsed jets actuators. The first part of this work develops a model identification technique based on experimental data. The models are derived from physical and control theory considerations. They provide a good fit to the data while remaining simple and using few coefficients. The second part of this work uses this models in order to design two different control algorithms : the first one is an optimal feedforward control while the second one is a robust feedback control. The control algorithms have been applied on several experimental setups (LML, ONERA, LAMIH) and their properties have been experimentally tested. The tests were conducted using a simple Arduino Uno for the measurements and computation of the control, showing that the developed method is easy to apply and requires very few computational resources

Turbulent flow and transition are some of the most important phenomena of fluid mechanics and aerodynamics and represent a challenging engineering problem for aircraft manufacturers looking to improve aerodynamic efficiency. Laminar flow technology has the potential to provide a significant reduction to aircraft drag by manipulating the instabilities within the laminar boundary layer to achieve a delay in transition to turbulence. Currently prediction and simulation of laminar-turbulent transition is con- ducted using either a low-fidelity approach involving the stability equations or via a full Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS). The work in this thesis uses an alternative high-fidelity simulation method that aims to bridge the gap between the two simulation streams. The methodology uses an LES approach with a low-computational cost sub-grid scale model (WALE) that has inherent ability to reduce its turbulent viscosity contribution to zero in laminar regions. With careful grid spacing the laminar regions can be explicitly modelled as an unsteady Navier-Stokes simulation while the turbulent and transitional regions are simulated using LES. The methodology has been labelled as an unsteady Navier-Stokes/Large Eddy Simulation (UNS/LES) approach. Two test cases were developed to test the applicability of the method to simulate and control the crossflow instability. The first test case replicated the setup from an experiment that ran at a chord-based Reynolds number of 390, 000. Two methods were used to generate the initial disturbance for the crossflow vortices, firstly using a continuous suction hole and secondly an isolated roughness element. The results for this test case showed that the approach was capable of modelling the full transition process, from explicitly modelling the growth of the initial amplitude of the disturbances to final breakdown to turbulence. Results matched well with the available experimental data. The second test case replicated an experimental setup using a custom- designed aerofoil run at a chord-based Reynolds number of 2.4 million. The test case used Distributed Roughness Elements (DRE) to induce crossflow vortices at both a critical and a control wavelength. By forcing the crossflow vortices at a stable (control) wavelength a delay in laminar-turbulent transition can be achieved. The results showed that the UNS/LES approach was capable of capturing the initial disturbance amplitudes due to the roughness elements and their growth rates matched well with experimental data. Finally, downstream a transitional region was assessed with low-freestream turbulence provided using a modified Synthetic Eddy Method (SEM). The full laminar-turbulent transition pro- cess was simulated and results showed significant promise. In conclusion, the method employed in this thesis showed promising results and demonstrated a possible route to high-fidelity transition simulation run at more realistic flow conditions and geometries than DNS. Further work and validation is required to test the secondary instability region and the final breakdown to turbulence.

A realização deste trabalho tem como objetivo fundamental estudar os efeitos dos atuadores de jato sintético no escoamento de uma camada limite desenvolvida sobre uma placa plana e um aerofólio hipotético. A interação dos jatos sintéticos com um escoamento transversal pode conduzir a uma aparente modificação da forma aerodinâmica de corpos rombudos e, dessa forma, fornecer uma maneira de controle da separação na camada limite. Estudos recentes demonstram que tipos diferentes de escoamentos podem ser produzidos pelo atuador dependendo da oscilação da membrana. Um método numérico para solução das equações de Navier-Stokes incompressíveis bidimensionais na formulação vorticidade-velocidade é utilizado neste trabalho. As equações governantes são discretizadas utilizando-se métodos de diferenças finitas compactas de sexta ordem para as derivadas espaciais. A equação de Poisson para a componente da velocidade normal é resolvida por um método iterativo de sobre-relaxação em linhas sucessivas usando um esquema com malha composta para acelerar a convergência. Os resultados de simulações com diferentes valores de freqüência, amplitude e comprimento de fenda foram verificados através de uma análise de Fourier temporal. Através desta análise é verificado qual a melhor situação para se atrasar a separação da camada limite / This work has as a fundamental objective the study of the effects of synthetic jet actuators on the boundary layer flow on a flat plate and on a hypothetical airfoil. The interaction of synthetic jets with transverse flow can lead to an apparent modification in the aerodynamic shape of blunt bodies and, in that way, supply a means of control of transition within the boundary layer. Recent studies demonstrate that different types of flow may be produced by the actuator, depending on the amplitude of oscillation of the membrane. A numerical method for the solution of two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations written in vorticity-velocity formulation is used in this work. The spatial derivatives are discretized with a sixth order compact finite differences scheme. The Poisson equation for the normal velocity component is solved by an iterative line successive over relaxation method and uses a multigrid full approximation scheme to accelerate the convergence. The results of simulations with different values of frequency, amplitude and slot length were verified through a temporal Fourier analysis. By way of this analysis it is verified which are the better parameters for the controlled delay of boundary layer separation

La transition laminaire-turbulent au sein de la couche limite qui se développesur les parois des aéronefs augmente fortement la traînée de frottement. Ainsi, afin derépondre à une problématique à la fois environnementale et économique, une piste envisagéepour réduire la consommation en carburant des aéronefs du futur est de diminuerla trainée en reculant cette transition le plus en aval possible. Dans ce cadre, l’objectifde cette thèse est de caractériser expérimentalement et numériquement l’effet d’actionneursà plasma de type Décharge à Barrière Diélectrique sur la transition. Alimentés parune haute tension alternative, ces actionneurs actifs produisent une force volumique pulséequi permet, sous certaines conditions, de modifier les profils de vitesse moyenne dansla couche limite et de reculer la transition. Sous d’autres conditions, le caractère instationnairede cette force volumique peut entrainer une amplification des instabilités modalesnaturellement présentes dans la couche limite (ondes de Tollmien-Schlichting) et ainsiconduire à une transition prématurée. Une première expérience a permis de mettre enévidence cette compétition entre l’effet moyen stabilisant et l’effet instationnaire déstabilisanten mesurant respectivement un recul et une avancée de la transition. Parallèlementà ces activités expérimentales, une étude numérique, basée sur des analyses destabilité linéaire, a montré que l’effet moyen de la force volumique permettait d’atténuerune large gamme de fréquences d’ondes TS dans la couche limite et d’expliquer le reculde transition observé expérimentalement. En se concentrant sur l’effet moyen, une secondeexpérience a permis d’étudier l’influence de la position de l’actionneur ainsi quel’effet cumulatif de plusieurs actionneurs sur le recul de transition. / The boundary layer transition from a laminar to a turbulent state increases thewall friction drag. Particularly on future aircrafts, one way of reducing fuel consumption,and answering both an environmental and economic issue, consists in delaying the transitionfarther downstream. In this context, the aim of this work is to characterize the impactof Dielectric Barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators on the boundary layer transition.When powered with an alternative high voltage, these active actuators produce apulsed body force which is tangential to the wall and, under some conditions, enablesto modify the boundary layer mean velocity profiles to delay the transition. Under otherconditions, the unsteady body force amplifies modal instabilities (Tollmien-Schlichtingwaves) may destabilize the boundary layers, leading to a promoted transition. A first experimentenabled to highlight this competition between the stabilizing mean effect andthe destabilizing unsteady effect by measuring respectively a transition delay and a transitionpromotion. A numerical study based on local stability analyses wass conducted inparallel and showed that a wide frequency range of TS waves is damped by the mean bodyforce, which explains the transition delay. A second experiment, focusing on the mean effect,enabled to show the influence of the actuator position and the cumulative effect ofseveral actuators on the transition delay.