Three-dimensional vortex wake structure of flapping wings in hovering flight

Flapping wings continuously create and send vortices into their wake, while imparting downward momentum into the surrounding fluid. However, experimental studies concerning the details of the three-dimensional vorticity distribution and evolution in the far wake are limited. In this study, the three-dimensional vortex wake structure in both the near and far field of a dynamically scaled flapping wing was investigated experimentally, using volumetric three-component velocimetry. A single wing, with shape and kinematics similar to those of a fruitfly, was examined. The overall result of the wing action is to create an integrated vortex structure consisting of a tip vortex (TV), trailing-edge shear layer (TESL) and leading-edge vortex. The TESL rolls up into a root vortex (RV) as it is shed from the wing, and together with the TV, contracts radially and stretches tangentially in the downstream wake. The downwash is distributed in an arc-shaped region enclosed by the stretched tangential vorticity of the TVs and the RVs. A closed vortex ring structure is not observed in the current study owing to the lack of well-established starting and stopping vortex structures that smoothly connect the TV and RV. An evaluation of the vorticity transport equation shows that both the TV and the RV undergo vortex stretching while convecting downwards: a three-dimensional phenomenon in rotating flows. It also confirms that convection and secondary tilting and stretching effects dominate the evolution of vorticity.     

Comparative aerodynamic performance of flapping flight in two bat species using time-resolved wake visualization

Bats are unique among extant actively flying animals in having very flexible wings, controlled by multi-jointed fingers. This gives the potential for fine-tuned active control to optimize aerodynamic performance throughout the wingbeat and thus a more efficient flight. But how bat wing performance scales with size, morphology and ecology is not yet known. Here, we present time-resolved fluid wake data of two species of bats flying freely across a range of flight speeds using stereoscopic digital particle image velocimetry in a wind tunnel. From these data, we construct an average wake for each bat species and speed combination, which is used to estimate the flight forces throughout the wingbeat and resulting flight performance properties such as lift-to-drag ratio (L/D). The results show that the wake dynamics and flight performance of both bat species are similar, as was expected since both species operate at similar Reynolds numbers (Re) and Strouhal numbers (St). However, maximum L/D is achieved at a significant higher flight speed for the larger, highly mobile and migratory bat species than for the smaller non-migratory species. Although the flight performance of these bats may depend on a range of morphological and ecological factors, the differences in optimal flight speeds between the species could at least partly be explained by differences in their movement ecology.     

Computation of turbulent vortex shedding

The paper reports on the prediction of the flow field around smooth cylinders in cross flow at high Reynolds number. Both circular and square-sectioned cylinders are considered. The principal feature of these flows, and the primary cause for the difficulty in their prediction, is the development of a von Karman vortex street leading to significant fluctuations in surface pressures. It has already been established from several previous studies that eddy-viscosity closures fail to capture the correct magnitude of these fluctuations though there is no consensus as to the underlying causes. In this work, it is argued that the organized fluctuations in the mean-flow field introduce energy into the random turbulence motions at a frequency that corresponds exactly to the shedding frequency and that, as a consequence, it becomes necessary to explicitly account in the turbulence closure for the resulting modification of the spectral transfer process. A proposal to account for this direct energy transfer in the context of two-equation eddy-viscosity closures is put forward and is checked by comparisons with experimental data from both square and circular cylinders at high Reynolds number. Uncertainties in the predictions due to numerical discretization errors are systematically minimized. The outcome of comparisons with experimental data and with results from alternative closures, including Large-Eddy Simulations, validate the proposal.     

Propulsive performance of a fish-like travelling wavy wall

Summary. A numerical simulation is performed to investigate the viscous flow over a smooth wavy wall undergoing transverse motion in the form of a streamwise travelling wave, which is similar to the backbone undulation of swimming fish. The objective of this study is to elucidate hydrodynamic features of the flow structure over the travelling wavy wall and to get physical insights to the understanding of fish-like swimming mechanisms in terms of drag reduction and optimal propulsive efficiency. The effect of phase speed, amplitude and Reynolds number on the flow structure over the wavy wall, the drag force acting on the wall, and the power consumption required for the propulsive motion of the wall is investigated. The phase speed and the amplitude, which are two important parameters in this problem, predicted based on the optimal propulsive efficiency agree well with the available data obtained for the wave-like swimming motion of live fish in nature.     

Flow rate measurement in a pipe flow by vortex shedding

The flow rate measurement of liquid, steam, and gas is one of the most important areas of application for today’s field instrumentation. Vortex meters are used in numerous branches of industry to measure the volumetric flow by exploiting the unsteady vortex flow behind a blunt body. The classical Kármán vortex street behind a cylinder shows a decrease in Strouhal number with decreasing Reynolds number. Considering the flow behind a vortex shedding device in a pipe the Strouhal-Reynolds number dependence shows a different behaviour for turbulent flows: a decrease in Reynolds number leads to an increase in Strouhal number. This phenomenon was found in the experimental investigations as well as in the numerical results and has been confirmed theoretically by a stability analysis.     

Dipteran wing motor-inspired flapping flight versatility and effectiveness enhancement

Insects are a prime source of inspiration towards the development of small-scale, engineered, flapping wing flight systems. To help interpret the possible energy transformation strategies observed in Diptera as inspiration for mechanical flapping flight systems, we revisit the perspective of the dipteran wing motor as a bistable click mechanism and take a new, and more flexible, outlook to the architectural composition previously considered. Using a representative structural model alongside biological insights and cues from nonlinear dynamics, our analyses and experimental results reveal that a flight mechanism able to adjust motor axial support stiffness and compression characteristics may dramatically modulate the amplitude range and type of wing stroke dynamics achievable. This corresponds to significantly more versatile aerodynamic force generation without otherwise changing flapping frequency or driving force amplitude. Whether monostable or bistable, the axial stiffness is key to enhance compressed motor load bearing ability and aerodynamic efficiency, particularly compared with uncompressed linear motors. These findings provide new foundation to guide future development of bioinspired, flapping wing mechanisms for micro air vehicle applications, and may be used to provide insight to the dipteran muscle-to-wing interface.     

The role of passive avian head stabilization in flapping flight

Birds improve vision by stabilizing head position relative to their surroundings, while their body is forced up and down during flapping flight. Stabilization is facilitated by compensatory motion of the sophisticated avian head–neck system. While relative head motion has been studied in stationary and walking birds, little is known about how birds accomplish head stabilization during flapping flight. To unravel this, we approximate the avian neck with a linear mass–spring–damper system for vertical displacements, analogous to proven head stabilization models for walking humans. We corroborate the model''s dimensionless natural frequency and damping ratios from high-speed video recordings of whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) flying over a lake. The data show that flap-induced body oscillations can be passively attenuated through the neck. We find that the passive model robustly attenuates large body oscillations, even in response to head mass and gust perturbations. Our proof of principle shows that bird-inspired drones with flapping wings could record better images with a swan-inspired passive camera suspension.     

喷射方法对尾流旋涡脱落的抑制

采用数值模拟的方法研究了尾部喷射对波动来流绕圆柱流动旋涡脱落的抑制,进而研究圆柱尾流控制机理.研究流场的无量纲波频范围为0².8,来流波动的无量纲幅值为0.2,雷诺数=200.在圆柱尾部沿圆柱母线开宽度为0.04倍柱体直径的缝隙,从缝隙中射出流体对尾流进行抑制,寻找可有效抑制旋涡脱落的喷射速度范围,进而求出雷诺数=200,无量纲振幅为0.2时有效抑制范围.当喷射速度在一定范围内时,可有效抑制旋涡脱落,并且随着无量纲频率的增大,有效抑制范围逐步减小.     

Control of vortex shedding on two- and three-dimensional aerofoils

We review and expand on the control of separated flows over flat plates and aerofoils at low Reynolds numbers associated with micro air vehicles. Experimental observations of the steady-state and transient lift response to actuation, and its dependence on the actuator, aerofoil geometry and flow conditions, are discussed and an attempt is made to unify them in terms of their excitation of periodic and transient vortex shedding. We also examine strategies for closed-loop flow and flight control using actuation of leading-edge vortices.     

State-space aerodynamic model reveals high force control authority and predictability in flapping flight

Flying animals resort to fast, large-degree-of-freedom motion of flapping wings, a key feature that distinguishes them from rotary or fixed-winged robotic fliers with limited motion of aerodynamic surfaces. However, flapping-wing aerodynamics are characterized by highly unsteady and three-dimensional flows difficult to model or control, and accurate aerodynamic force predictions often rely on expensive computational or experimental methods. Here, we developed a computationally efficient and data-driven state-space model to dynamically map wing kinematics to aerodynamic forces/moments. This model was trained and tested with a total of 548 different flapping-wing motions and surpassed the accuracy and generality of the existing quasi-steady models. This model used 12 states to capture the unsteady and nonlinear fluid effects pertinent to force generation without explicit information of fluid flows. We also provided a comprehensive assessment of the control authority of key wing kinematic variables and found that instantaneous aerodynamic forces/moments were largely predictable by the wing motion history within a half-stroke cycle. Furthermore, the angle of attack, normal acceleration and pitching motion had the strongest effects on the aerodynamic force/moment generation. Our results show that flapping flight inherently offers high force control authority and predictability, which can be key to developing agile and stable aerial fliers.