scholarly journals A scaling law for the lift of hovering insects

2015 ◽  
Vol 782 ◽  
pp. 479-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeongsu Lee ◽  
Haecheon Choi ◽  
Ho-Young Kim
Keyword(s):  
Scaling Law ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Structure Comparison ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Vortical Structures ◽  
Insect Wings ◽  
Simple Scaling ◽  
Edge Vortex

Insect hovering is one of the most fascinating acrobatic flight modes in nature, and its aerodynamics has been intensively studied, mainly through computational approaches. While the numerical analyses have revealed detailed vortical structures around flapping wings and resulting forces for specific hovering conditions, theoretical understanding of a simple unified mechanism enabling the insects to be airborne is still incomplete. Here, we construct a scaling law for the lift of hovering insects through relatively simple scaling arguments of the strength of the leading edge vortex and the momentum induced by the vortical structure. Comparison of our theory with the measurement data of 35 species of insects confirms that the scaling law captures the essential physics of lift generation of hovering insects. Our results offer a simple yet powerful guideline for biologists who seek the evolutionary direction of the shape and kinematics of insect wings, and for engineers who design flapping-based micro air vehicles.

Flight

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Hedenström
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Leading Edge Vortex ◽  
Confined Spaces ◽  
Unsteady Aerodynamic ◽  
Maneuvering Flight ◽  
Edge Vortex ◽  
Lifting Surfaces ◽  
Animal Flight

Animal flight represents a great challenge and model for biomimetic design efforts. Powered flight at low speeds requires not only appropriate lifting surfaces (wings) and actuator (engine), but also an advanced sensory control system to allow maneuvering in confined spaces, and take-off and landing. Millions of years of evolutionary tinkering has resulted in modern birds and bats, which are achieve controlled maneuvering flight as well as hovering and cruising flight with trans-continental non-stop migratory flights enduring several days in some bird species. Unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms allows for hovering and slow flight in insects, birds and bats, such as for example the delayed stall with a leading edge vortex used to enhance lift at slows speeds. By studying animal flight with the aim of mimicking key adaptations allowing flight as found in animals, engineers will be able to design micro air vehicles of similar capacities.

The leading-edge vortex and aerodynamics of insect-based flapping-wing micro air vehicles

2009 ◽  
Vol 113 (1142) ◽  
pp. 253-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. Wilkins ◽  
K. Knowles
Keyword(s):  
Entire Range ◽  
Angle Of Attack ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Computational Method ◽  
Leading Edge Vortex ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
Edge Vortex

AbstractThe aerodynamics of insect-like flapping are dominated by the production of a large, stable, and lift-enhancing leading-edge vortex (LEV) above the wing. In this paper the phenomenology behind the LEV is explored, the reasons for its stability are investigated, and the effects on the LEV of changing Reynolds number or angle-of-attack are studied. A predominantly-computational method has been used, validated against both existing and new experimental data. It is concluded that the LEV is stable over the entire range of Reynolds numbers investigated here and that changes in angle-of-attack do not affect the LEV’s stability. The primary motivation of the current work is to ascertain whether insect-like flapping can be successfully ‘scaled up’ to produce a flapping-wing micro air vehicle (FMAV) and the results presented here suggest that this should be the case.

Scaling law for the lift force of autorotating falling seeds at terminal velocity

2017 ◽  
Vol 835 ◽  
pp. 406-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Injae Lee ◽  
Haecheon Choi
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Lift Force ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Scaling Law ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Terminal Velocity ◽  
Leading Edge Vortex ◽  
Actuator Disk ◽  
Vortex Theory ◽  
Edge Vortex

We provide a scaling law for the lift force of autorotating falling seeds at terminal velocity to describe the relation among the lift force, seed geometry and terminal descending and rotating velocities. Two theories, steady wing-vortex theory and actuator-disk theory, are examined to derive the scaling law. In the steady wing-vortex theory, the strength of a leading-edge vortex is scaled with the circulation around a wing and the lift force is modelled by the time derivative of vortical impulse, whereas the conservations of mass, linear and angular momentum, and kinetic energy across the autorotating falling seed are applied in the actuator-disk theory. To examine the validity of the theoretical results, an unsteady three-dimensional numerical simulation is conducted for flow around an autorotating seed (Acer palmatum) during free fall. The sectional lift coefficient predicted from the steady wing-vortex theory reasonably agrees with that from the numerical simulation, whereas the actuator-disk theory fails to provide an estimation of the sectional lift coefficient. The weights of 11 different species of autorotating falling seeds fall on the scaling law derived from the steady wing-vortex theory, suggesting that even a simple theoretical approach can explain how falling seeds support their weights by autorotation once the circulation from a leading-edge vortex is properly included in the theory.

scholarly journals Aerodynamic Performance of a Passive Pitching Model on Bionic Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinjing Hao ◽  
Jianghao Wu ◽  
Yanlai Zhang
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Aerodynamic Force ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Torsional Stiffness ◽  
Important Goal ◽  
Edge Vortex ◽  
Yaw Moment ◽  
Air Vehicles

Reducing weight and increasing lift have been an important goal of using flapping wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs). However, FWMAVs with mechanisms to limit the angle of attack (α) artificially by active force cannot meet specific requirements. This study applies a bioinspired model that passively imitates insects’ pitching wings to resolve this problem. In this bionic passive pitching model, the wing root is equivalent to a torsional spring. α obtained by solving the coupled dynamic equation is similar to that of insects and exhibits a unique characteristic with two oscillated peaks during the middle of the upstroke/downstroke under the interaction of aerodynamic, torsional, and inertial moments. Excess rigidity or flexibility deteriorates the aerodynamic force and efficiency of the passive pitching wing. With appropriate torsional stiffness, passive pitching can maintain a high efficiency while enhancing the average lift by 10% than active pitching. This observation corresponds to a clear enhancement in instantaneous force and a more concentrated leading edge vortex. This phenomenon can be attributed to a vorticity moment whose component in the lift direction grows at a rapid speed. A novel bionic control strategy of this model is also proposed. Similar to the rest angle in insects, the rest angle of the model is adjusted to generate a yaw moment around the wing root without losing lift, which can assist to change the attitude and trajectory of a FWMAV during flight. These findings may guide us to deal with various conditions and requirements of FWMAV designs and applications.

Vortex force of an impulsively started plate at high angle of attack

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (11) ◽  
pp. 2402-2414
Author(s):  
Xiang Fu ◽  
Gaohua Li ◽  
Fuxin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Aerodynamic Force ◽  
Angle Of Attack ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Aerodynamic Forces ◽  
Total Drag ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Vortical Structures ◽  
Edge Vortex ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose A quantitative study that can identify the primary aerodynamic forces and relate them to individual vortical structures is lacking. The paper aims to clarify the quantitative relationships between the aerodynamic forces and vortical structures. Design/methodology/approach The various contributions to the aerodynamic forces on the two-dimensional impulsively started plate are investigated from the perspective of the vorticity moment theorem. The angles of attacks are set to 45°, 58.5° and 72°, while the Reynolds number is 10,000 based on the chord length. Compared with the traditional pressure force analysis, this theorem not only tells us the total aerodynamic force during the motion, but also enables us to quantify the forces contributed from the fluid elements with non-zero vorticity. Findings It is found that the time-dependent force behaviors are dominated by the formations and evolutions of these vortical structures. The analysis of the time-averaged forces demonstrates that the lift contributed from the leading edge vortex (LEV) is nearly four times larger than the total lift and the drag contributed from the starting vortex (SV) is almost equal to the total drag when the angle of attack (AoA) increases to 72°, which means the LEV is “lift structure” whereas the SV is “drag structure”. Practical implications The present method provides a better perspective for flow control and drag reduction by relating the forces directly to the individual vorticity structures. Originality/value In this paper, the Vorticity Moment Theory is first used to study the quantitative relationships between the aerodynamic forces and the vortices.

Hydrodynamics of swimming in stingrays: numerical simulations and the role of the leading-edge vortex

2016 ◽  
Vol 788 ◽  
pp. 407-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Bottom II ◽  
I. Borazjani ◽  
E. L. Blevins ◽  
G. V. Lauder
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Horseshoe Vortex ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Body Motion ◽  
Vortical Structures ◽  
Leading Edge Vortex ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Pressure Region ◽  
Edge Vortex

Stingrays, in contrast with many other aquatic animals, have flattened disk-shaped bodies with expanded pectoral ‘wings’, which are used for locomotion in water. To discover the key features of stingray locomotion, large-eddy simulations of a self-propelled stingray, modelled closely after the freshwater stingray, Potamotrygon orbignyi, are performed. The stingray’s body motion was prescribed based on three-dimensional experimental measurement of wing and body kinematics in live stingrays at two different swimming speeds of 1.5 and $2.5L~\text{s}^{-1}$ ($L$ is the disk length of the stingray). The swimming speeds predicted by the self-propelled simulations were within 12 % of the nominal swimming speeds in the experiments. It was found that the fast-swimming stingray (Reynolds number $Re=23\,000$ and Strouhal number $St=0.27$) is approximately 12 % more efficient than the slow-swimming one ($Re=13\,500$, $St=0.34$). This is related to the wake of the fast- and slow-swimming stingrays, which was visualized along with the pressure on the stingray’s body. A horseshoe vortex was discovered to be present at the anterior margin of the stingray, creating a low-pressure region that enhances thrust for both fast and slow swimming speeds. Furthermore, it was found that a leading-edge vortex (LEV) on the pectoral disk of swimming stingrays generates a low-pressure region in the fast-swimming stingray, whereas the low- and high-pressure regions in the slow-swimming one are in the back half of the wing and not close to any vortical structures. The undulatory motion creates thrust by accelerating the adjacent fluid (the added-mass mechanism), which is maximized in the back of the wing because of higher undulations and velocities in the back. However, the thrust enhancement by the LEV occurs in the front portion of the wing. By computing the forces on the front half and the back half of the wing, it was found that the contribution of the back half of the wing to thrust in a slow-swimming stingray is several-fold higher than in the fast-swimming one. This indicates that the LEV enhances thrust in fast-swimming stingrays and improves the efficiency of swimming.

scholarly journals Visualization of vortical flows around a rapidly pitching wing and propeller

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-43
Author(s):  
Erlong Su ◽  
Ryan Randall ◽  
Lee Wilson ◽  
Sergey Shkarayev
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Dynamic Stall ◽  
Leading Edge Vortex ◽  
Edge Vortex ◽  
Effective Angle ◽  
Lift And Drag ◽  
Five Axis ◽  
Leading Edge Vortices

This study was conducted to visually investigate flows related to fixed-wing vertical-takeoff-and-landing micro air vehicles, using the smoke-wire technique. In particular, the study examines transition between forward flight and near-hover. The experimental model consists of a rigid Zimmerman wing and a propulsion system with contra-rotating propellers arranged in a tractor configuration. The model was pitched about the wing’s aerodynamic center at approximately constant rates using a five-axis robotic arm. Constant-rate pitching angles spanned 20° to 70°. No-pitching and four pitching-rates were used, along with three propulsive settings. Several observations were made during no-pitching tests. Turbulent wakes behind blades and laminar flow between them produces pulsations in the boundary layer. These pulsations alter the boundary layer from a laminar to turbulent state and back. An increase in lift and drag in the presence of a slipstream is a result of competing effects of the propulsive slipstream: (a) suppression of flow separation and increased velocity over the wing and (b) decrease of the effective angle of attack. Higher nose-up pitching-rates generally lead to greater trailing-edge vortex-shedding frequency. Nose-up pitching without a slipstream can lead to the development of a traditional dynamic-stall leading-edge vortex, delaying stall and increasing wing lift. During nose-up pitching, a slipstream can drive periodically shed leading-edge vortices into a larger vortical-structure that circulates over the upper-surface of a wing in a fashion similar to that of a traditional dynamic-stall leading-edge vortex. At lower nose-up pitching-rates, leading-edge vortices form at lower angles of attacks. As a slipstream strengthens, a few things occur: separation wakes diminish, separation occurs at a higher angle of attacks, and downward flow-deflection increases. Similar effects are observed for nose-up pitching, while nose-down pitching produces the opposite effects.

scholarly journals Model for sectional leading-edge vortex lift for the prediction of rotating samara seeds performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 124 (1278) ◽  
pp. 1236-1261
Author(s):  
D. Rezgui ◽  
I.H. Arroyo ◽  
R. Theunissen
Keyword(s):  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Wind Tunnel Experiments ◽  
Aerodynamic Model ◽  
Numerical Predictions ◽  
Edge Vortex ◽  
Aerodynamic Modelling ◽  
Lift Function

ABSTRACTThis article presents a development of a simple analytical aerodynamic model capable of describing the effect of leading-edge vortices (LEVs) on the lift of rotating samara wings. This analytical model is based on the adaptation of Polhamus’ method to develop a sectional two-dimensional lift function, which was implemented in a numerical blade element model (BEM) of a rotating samara blade. Furthermore, wind tunnel experiments were conducted to validate the numerical BEM and to assess the validity of the newly developed analytical lift function. The results showed good agreement between the numerical model and the experimental measurements of rotational speed and rate of descent of the samara wing. The results were also compared with numerical predictions using BEM but adopting different lift coefficient expressions available in literature. This research contributed towards efficient aerodynamic modelling of the lift generated by LEVs on rotating samara wings for performance prediction, which could potentially be used in the design of bio-inspired rotary micro-air vehicles.

Spanwise flow and the attachment of the leading-edge vortex on insect wings

Nature ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 412 (6848) ◽  
pp. 729-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. Birch ◽  
Michael H. Dickinson
Keyword(s):  
Leading Edge ◽  
Leading Edge Vortex ◽  
Insect Wings ◽  
Edge Vortex ◽  
Spanwise Flow

Formation of vortices and spanwise flow on an insect-like flapping wing throughout a flapping half cycle

2013 ◽  
Vol 117 (1191) ◽  
pp. 471-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Phillips ◽  
K. Knowles
Keyword(s):  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Axial Direction ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Half Cycle ◽  
Leading Edge Vortex ◽  
Edge Vortex ◽  
Spanwise Flow

AbstractThis paper presents an experimental investigation of the evolution of the leading-edge vortex and spanwise flow generated by an insect-like flapping-wing at a Reynolds number relevant to flapping-wing micro air vehicles (FMAVs) (Re = ~15,000). Experiments were accomplished with a first-of-its-kind flapping-wing apparatus. Dense pseudo-volumetric particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements from 18% – 117% span were taken at 12 azimuthal positions throughout a flapping half cycle. Results revealed the formation of a primary leading-edge vortex (LEV) which saw an increase in size and spanwise flow (towards the tip) through its core as the wing swept from rest to the mid-stroke position where signs of vortex breakdown were observed. Beyond mid-stroke, spanwise flow decreased and the tip vortex grew in size and exhibited a reversal in its axial direction. At the end of the flapping half cycle, the primary LEV was still present over the wing surface, suggesting that the LEV remains attached to the wing throughout the entire flapping half cycle.

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