Aeroelastic Tailoring of Flapping Membrane Wings for Maximum Thrust and Propulsive Efficiency

Author(s):  
William Walker ◽  
Mayuresh Patil ◽  
Robert Canfield
AIAA Journal ◽  
10.2514/1.816 ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 43 (11) ◽  
pp. 2329-2336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismail H. Tuncer ◽  
Mustafa Kaya

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 4-19
Author(s):  
Fengkun Li ◽  
Pengyao Yu ◽  
Qiang Wang ◽  
Guangzhao Li ◽  
Xiangcheng Wu

Abstract Numerical simulations of fluid-structure interaction (FSI) on an elastic foil heaving with constant amplitude in freestream flow are carried out at a low Reynolds number of 20,000. The commercial software STAR-CCM+ is employed to solve the flow field and the large-scale passive deformation of the structure. The results show that introducing a certain degree of flexibility significantly improves the thrust and efficiency of the foil. For each Strouhal number St considered, an optimal flexibility exists for thrust; however, the propulsive efficiency keeps increasing with the increase in flexibility. The visualisation of the vorticity fields elucidates the improvement of the propulsive characteristics by flexibility. Furthermore, the mechanism of thrust generation is discussed by comparing the time-varying thrust coefficient and vortex structure in the wake for both rigid and elastic foils. Finally, in addition to sinusoidal motions, we also consider the effect of non-sinusoidal trajectories defined by flattening parameter S on the propulsive characteristics for both rigid and elastic foils. The non-sinusoidal trajectories defined by S=2 are associated with the maximum thrust, and the highest values of propulsive efficiency are obtained with S=0.5 among the cases considered in this work.


1985 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gifford Bull ◽  
Philip D. Bridges

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 189
Author(s):  
Muhammad Hafiz Hassan ◽  
Jamaluddin Abdullah ◽  
Gérald Franz ◽  
Chim Yi Shen ◽  
Reza Mahmoodian

Drilling two different materials in a layer, or stack-up, is being practiced widely in the aerospace industry to minimize critical dimension mismatch and error in the subsequent assembly process, but the compatibility of the drill to compensate the widely differing properties of composite is still a major challenge to the industry. In this paper, the effect of customized twist drill geometry and drilling parameters are being investigated based on the thrust force signature generated during the drilling of CFRP/Al7075-T6. Based on ANOVA, it is found that the maximum thrust force for both CFRP and Al7075-T6 are highly dependent on the feed rate. Through the analysis of maximum thrust force, supported by hole diameter error, hole surface roughness, and chip formation, it is found that the optimum tool parameters selection includes a helix angle of 30°, primary clearance angle of 6°, point angle of 130°, chisel edge angle of 30°, speed of 2600 rev/min and feed rate of 0.05 mm/rev. The optimum parameters obtained in this study are benchmarked against existing industry practice of the capability to produce higher hole quality and efficiency, which is set at 2600 rev/min for speed and 0.1 mm/rev for feed rate.


Author(s):  
Dennis Keller

AbstractThe scope of the present paper is to assess the potential of distributed propulsion for a regional aircraft regarding aero-propulsive efficiency. Several sensitivities such as the effect of wingtip propellers, thrust distribution, and shape modifications are investigated based on a configuration with 12 propulsors. Furthermore, an initial assessment of the high-lift performance is undertaken in order to estimate potential wing sizing effects. The performance of the main wing and the propellers are thereby equally considered with the required power being the overall performance indicator. The results indicate that distributed propulsion is not necessarily beneficial regarding the aero-propulsive efficiency in cruise flight. However, the use of wing tip propellers, optimization of the thrust distribution, and wing resizing effects lead to a reduction in required propulsive power by $$-2.9$$ - 2.9 to $$-3.3\,\%$$ - 3.3 % compared to a configuration with two propulsors. Adapting the leading edge to the local flow conditions did not show any substantial improvement in cruise configuration to date.


2011 ◽  
Vol 689 ◽  
pp. 32-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.-K. Kang ◽  
H. Aono ◽  
C. E. S. Cesnik ◽  
W. Shyy

AbstractEffects of chordwise, spanwise, and isotropic flexibility on the force generation and propulsive efficiency of flapping wings are elucidated. For a moving body immersed in viscous fluid, different types of forces, as a function of the Reynolds number, reduced frequency (k), and Strouhal number (St), acting on the moving body are identified based on a scaling argument. In particular, at the Reynolds number regime of $O(1{0}^{3} \ensuremath{-} 1{0}^{4} )$ and the reduced frequency of $O(1)$, the added mass force, related to the acceleration of the wing, is important. Based on the order of magnitude and energy balance arguments, a relationship between the propulsive force and the maximum relative wing-tip deformation parameter ($\gamma $) is established. The parameter depends on the density ratio, St, k, natural and flapping frequency ratio, and flapping amplitude. The lift generation, and the propulsive efficiency can be deduced by the same scaling procedures. It seems that the maximum propulsive force is obtained when flapping near the resonance, whereas the optimal propulsive efficiency is reached when flapping at about half of the natural frequency; both are supported by the reported studies. The established scaling relationships can offer direct guidance for micro air vehicle design and performance analysis.


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