Passive control of a single flexible flag using two side-by-side flags

Numerical simulations using an improved version of the immersed boundary method are performed to explore a passive control concept for a single flexible flag in a viscous uniform flow. In order to control a single flag passively, we utilize the distinct dynamics of two side-by-side flags, characterized by in-phase and out-of-phase flapping modes depending on their spanwise gap distance. When the two side-by-side flags are in an in-phase flapping mode with a small spanwise gap distance, the flapping amplitude of a single downstream flag is highly enhanced due to synchronization between the vortices shed from the upstream and downstream flags. However, when the two upstream flags flap in an out-of-phase flapping mode with a large spanwise gap distance, the flapping of the single flag is significantly weakened with a reduction of the dominant flapping frequency. Because the upstream flags induce consecutive counter-rotating vortex pairs with a high frequency due to their flapping mode (out-of-phase state), relatively strong interaction with an upcoming vortex of the opposite rotational direction leads to flapping inhibition of the single flag. For an intermediate spanwise gap distance, the vortex-to-vortex interaction between the flags becomes more complicated, and a change of the flapping phases of the two side-by-side flags depending on streamwise gap distance between the upstream and downstream flags occurs. The interactions between coupled flags are documented through the root-mean-square cross-stream tail positions, frequency, drag coefficient, vorticity and pressure contours of the flags with varying non-dimensional parameters relevant to the problem. The proposed passive control concept of a single flag using two side-by-side flags is applicable to the development of energy harvesting systems to extract more energy and flapping control systems to suppress vibration.     

Stability and coupled dynamics of three-dimensional dual inverted flags

Fluid–structure interaction of an inverted flag, which has a free leading edge and a clamped trailing edge, has drawn attention recently because of its novel properties such as divergence stability, a low stability threshold, and large-amplitude flapping motion. In this study, the stability and flapping behaviors of dual inverted flags with finite height are investigated for a side-by-side arrangement, and their noticeable characteristics are compared to those of dual conventional flags. The critical velocity at which the inverted flags break the equilibrium of a straight configuration reduces monotonically when a gap distance between the two flags becomes smaller and an aspect ratio becomes larger, which is also predicted by our linear stability analysis using simple theoretical models of two-dimensional flags and slender flags. After bifurcation, in addition to the synchronized in-phase and out-of-phase modes commonly observed in dual conventional flags, a novel attached mode appears which is mainly observed for small gap distance and small aspect ratio. In this non-linear mode, the leading edges of the two inverted flags touch each other on a midline, and the deformed inverted flags maintain static equilibrium. In a non-linear flapping regime, a new mechanism of a mode transition from an out-of-phase mode to an in-phase mode is identified, which is allowed by the collision of the two flags flapping with large amplitude.     

均匀来流条件下并行排列旗帜耦合运动模式的实验

利用高速摄影技术在低速风洞中记录了不同间距并行排列的两个旗帜在不同来流速度中的耦合运动。利用自编的时间-空间演化图像处理软件分析总结了旗帜的耦合运动模式以及旗帜摆动振幅、频率和St数的变化规律。实验结果显示,随着排列间距和来流速度的变化,两旗帜可能以静止、同向摆动、反向摆动和过渡状态这四种不同的模态耦合运动。两旗帜同向摆动时摆动频率明显低于单个旗帜在相同来流中的值,反向摆动时情况相反。在过渡状态中两旗帜摆动的振幅交替增减并且运动中同时包含有两个频率,而同向和反向摆动都是单频率的运动。     

Secondary instabilities of the in-phase synchronized wakes past two circular cylinders in side-by-side arrangement

In the present study we investigate the secondary instability of the in-phase synchronized vortex shedding from two side-by-side circular cylinders at low Reynolds numbers. Two distinct Floquet modes become unstable for different values of the Reynolds number and of the non-dimensional gap spacing, leading to the onset of the well-known flip-flop instability of the two cylinder wakes. In both cases the two-dimensional Floquet analysis reveals that at very low Reynolds numbers, a pair of complex-conjugate multipliers crosses the unit circle, showing the same frequency as the biased gap-flow flip-over. In the past literature this behaviour has been often ascribed to a bistability of the flow. On the contrary, the present DNS and stability results provide evidence that at low Reynolds numbers, the flip-flopping behaviour originates from a Neimark–Sacker bifurcation of the in-phase shedding cycle.     

Flow induced oscillation of two rigid rectangular plates in a side-by-side configuration

The present work is an experimental study of two oscillating rigid plates placed in side-by-side configuration, hinged at their leading edges, subjected to low subsonic flow. This problem is investigated using smoke-wire flow visualization, hot-wire anemometry, and time resolved particle image velocimetry. It is found that beyond a critical Reynolds number, the plates set into oscillatory motion. This critical Reynolds number depends on the gap between the plates. It is also seen that this value of Reynolds number, at lower values of gap to thickness ratio (<7) is significantly higher than that of the single plate configuration value. The frequency and amplitude of the oscillating plates at various gaps and Reynolds numbers have been studied and compared with the characteristics of an oscillating single plate. It is also found that depending on the gap and acceleration of the free-stream, there exist two modes of oscillation - (i) in-phase and (ii) out-of-phase. For gap to thickness ratio less than 10, only in-phase oscillations take place for all values of free-stream velocity considered in the present work, whereas, when this ratio is greater than 10, the mode of oscillation depends on the initial conditions up to a certain free-stream velocity, beyond which the plates switch to in-phase mode. Smoke wire flow visualization technique along with time resolved particle image velocimetry reveal that the vorticity distributions around the plates are responsible for the initiation of the two modes of oscillations.     

Design and development considerations for biologically inspired flapping-wing micro air vehicles

In this paper, the decade of numerical and experimental investigations leading to the development of the authors’ unique flapping-wing micro air vehicle is summarized. Early investigations included the study of boundary layer energization by means of a small flapping foil embedded in a flat-plate boundary layer, the reduction of the recirculatory flow region behind a backward-facing step by means of a small flapping foil, and the reduction or suppression of flow separation behind blunt or cusped airfoil trailing edges by flapping a small foil located in the wake flow region. These studies were followed by systematic investigations of the aerodynamic characteristics of single flapping airfoils and airfoil combinations. These unsteady flows were described using flow visualization, laser-Doppler velocimetry in addition to panel and Navier–Stokes computations. It is then shown how this flapping-wing database was used to conceive, design and develop a micro air vehicle which has a fixed wing for lift and two flapping wings for thrust generation. While animal flight is characterized by a coupled force generation, the present design appears to separate lift and thrust. However, in fact, the performance of one surface is closely coupled to the other surfaces.     

Experiments on the dynamic behavior of fluid-coupled concentric cylinders

This paper describes an experimental vibration study of fluid-coupled coaxial cylinders that simulates the vibration of a reactor vessel with a thermal liner. The model cylinders are made of acrylic. Thickness and gap-size parameter studies are performed by a series of different compinations of three outside cylinders and nine inside cylinders that have variable thicknesses and diameters. Damping ratios are measured on a mode-by-mode basis for several combinations of cylinders. The vibrated cylinders are mounted to a rigid stand, with the cuter cylinder supported at both ends and the inner cylinder supported at either one end (pendulum mode) or both ends, as the case may be. The natural frequencies are obtained first in air and then with coaxial cylinders coupled by water. The mode shapes are obtained by circumferential (shell modes) and axial (shell/beam modes) mapping of the response with two diametrically opposite ‘roving’ Dymac eddy probes. In general, the natural vibration of the system has two distinct responses in-phase and/or out-of-phase modes, i.e., the radial displacement phase relationship between inner and outer cylinders. In the out-of-phase modes the frequency is shown to decrease to either zero or a very low limiting value as the gap size cecreases. The opposite occurs for in-phase modes. Damping ratios are found to be much higher for out-of-phase modes and for relatively rigid cylinders than for in-phase modes and flexible cylinders, respectively.     

Hydroelastic vibration of two annular plates coupled with a bounded compressible fluid

A theoretical study on a linear hydroelastic vibration of two annular plates coupled with a bounded fluid is presented. The proposed method, based on the Rayleigh–Ritz method and the finite Hankel transform, is verified through a finite element analysis by using a commercial computer code, with an excellent accuracy. It is assumed that plates with an unequal thickness and with an unequal inner radius are clamped along their edges and an inviscid compressible fluid fills the space between the annular plates and the outer rigid vessel. When the two annular plates are identical, distinct in-phase and out-of-phase modes are observed. By increasing the difference in the plate thickness, the symmetric in-phase and out-of-phase modes with respect to the middle plane of the system are gradually shifted to pseudo in-phase and out-of-phase modes, and eventually they are changed to mixed modes. It is found that the natural frequencies decrease with an increase of the fluid compressibility, and additional modes due to a fluid concentration are observed when the plates are coupled with a compressible fluid. The fluid compressibility effect on the natural frequency is dominant in the out-of-phase modes and the higher modes. Also, the effects of the fluid thickness or the distance between the plates and the inner radius of the plates on the natural frequencies of the wet modes are investigated.     

Flow-structure interactions of two parallel inverted flags with small separation distances in a water tunnel

In this study, the dynamics and flow fields of two parallel inverted flags are investigated using particle image velocimetry technology. The separation distance between two flags is less than two times the length of the flag, and the length ratio of these two flags is considered in the investigation. The results show that for the dynamic behaviours of two identical flags with a larger separation distance, the anti-phase and in-phase modes occur successively in the periodic oscillation as the flow velocity increases. The anti-phase and in-phase oscillations occur according to the formation position of the low-pressure and recirculation areas at different flow velocities. Moreover, a novel coupled flapping mode is observed at smaller separation distances: the contact anti-phase flapping mode, in which one flag oscillates with a large symmetric amplitude, and the other flag oscillates with a single-side large amplitude. As the separation distance further decreases, the in-phase mode appears for a larger range of flow velocity values, to avoid contact for the largest possible amplitude oscillation. Finally, as the length ratio decreases to 0.75, the oscillation frequency of the shorter flag becomes twice that of the longer flag, causing the in-phase and anti-phase oscillations to occur simultaneously in one cycle (i.e., the multi-phase flapping state). Interestingly, the two flags oscillate out of phase in the flapping apart process to avoid contact at a higher flow velocity. In general, the lower amplitude of the longer flag and two contact flags relative to that of an isolated flag clearly indicates the importance of two equal-length and non-contact flags for energy harvesting.     

Numerical study of flapping filaments in a uniform fluid flow

The coupled dynamics of multiple flexible filaments (also called monodimensional flags) flapping in a uniform fluid flow is studied numerically for the cases of a side-by-side arrangement, and an in-line configuration. The modal behaviour and hydrodynamical properties of the sets of filaments are studied using a Lattice Boltzmann–Immersed Boundary method. The fluid momentum equations are solved on a Cartesian uniform lattice while the beating filaments are tracked through a series of markers, whose dynamics are functions of the forces exerted by the fluid, the filaments flexural rigidity and the tension. The instantaneous wall conditions on the filaments are imposed via a system of singular body forces, consistently discretised on the lattice of the Boltzmann equation. The results exhibit several flapping modes for two and three filaments placed side-by-side and are compared with experimental and theoretical studies. The hydrodynamical drafting, observed so far only experimentally on configurations of in-line flexible bodies, is also revisited numerically in this work, and the associated physical mechanism is identified. In certain geometrical and structural configuration, it is found that the upstream body experiences a reduced drag compared to the downstream body, which is the contrary of what is encountered on rigid bodies (cars, bicycles).     

Wake visualization of a heaving and pitching foil in a soap film

Many fish depend primarily on their tail beat for propulsion. Such a tail is commonly modeled as a two-dimensional flapping foil. Here we demonstrate a novel experimental setup of such a foil that heaves and pitches in a soap film. The vortical flow field generated by the foil correlates with thickness variations in the soap film, which appear as interference fringes when the film is illuminated with a monochromatic light source (we used a high-frequency SOX lamp). These interference fringes are subsequently captured with high-speed video (500 Hz) and this allows us to study the unsteady vortical field of a flapping foil. The main advantage of our approach is that the flow fields are time and space resolved and can be obtained time-efficiently. The foil is driven by a flapping mechanism that is optimized for studying both fish swimming and insect flight inside and outside the behavioral envelope. The mechanism generates sinusoidal heave and pitch kinematics, pre-described by the non-dimensional heave amplitude (0–6), the pitch amplitude (0°–90°), the phase difference between pitch and heave (0°–360°), and the dimensionless wavelength of the foil (3–18). We obtained this wide range of wavelengths for a foil 4 mm long by minimizing the soap film speed (0.25 m s⁻¹) and maximizing the flapping frequency range (4–25 Hz). The Reynolds number of the foil is of order 1,000 throughout this range. The resulting setup enables an effective assessment of vortex wake topology as a function of flapping kinematics. The efficiency of the method is further improved by carefully eliminating background noise in the visualization (e.g., reflections of the mechanism). This is done by placing mirrors at an angle behind the translucent film such that the camera views the much more distant and out-of-focus reflections of the black laboratory wall. The resulting high-quality flow visualizations require minimal image processing for flow interpretation. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our setup by visualizing the vortex dynamics of the flapping foil as a function of pitch amplitude by assessing the symmetry of the vortical wake.     

剪切流作用下层合梁非线性振动特性研究

针对剪切流中层合梁的大变形非线性振动问题, 采用高阶剪切变形锯齿理论和冯·卡门应变描述层合梁的变形模式和几何非线性效应, 构建了大变形层合梁非线性振动有限元数值模型; 采用基于任意拉格朗日?欧拉方法的有限体积法求解不可压缩黏性流体纳维-斯托克斯方程, 结合层合梁和流体的耦合界面条件建立了剪切流作用下层合梁流固耦合非线性动力学数值模型, 采用分区并行强耦合方法对层合梁的流致非线性振动响应进行了迭代计算. 研究了不同速度分布的剪切流作用下单层梁和多层复合材料梁的振动响应特性, 并验证了本文数值建模方法的有效性. 结果表明: 剪切流作用下单层梁的振动特性与均匀流作用下的情况不同, 梁的运动轨迹受剪切流影响向下偏斜, 随着速度分布系数增加, 尾部流场中的涡结构发生改变; 刚度比对剪切流作用下层合梁的振动特性有显著影响, 随着刚度比的增加, 层合梁振动的振幅增大, 主导频率下降, 运动轨迹由‘8’字形逐渐变得不对称; 发现了不同厚度比和铺层角度情况下, 层合梁存在定点稳定模式、周期极限环振动模式和非周期振动模式三种不同的振动模式, 改变层合梁铺层角度可实现层合梁周期极限环振动模式向非周期振动模式转变.      

Power extraction efficiency improvement of a fully-activated flapping foil: With the help of an auxiliary rotating foil

The power extraction efficiency improvement of a fully-activated flapping foil with the help of an auxiliary rotating foil is numerically examined in this work. A NACA0015 airfoil is placed in a two-dimensional laminar flow and synchronously performs the imposed pitching and plunging motions. An auxiliary smaller foil, which rotates about its center, is arranged below the flapping foil. As a consequence, the vortex interaction between the flapping foil and the rotating foil occurs. At a Reynolds number of 1100 and the position of the pitching axis at one-third chord, the effects of the distance between the flapping foil and the auxiliary foil, the phase difference between the rotating motion and the flapping motion as well as the frequency of flapping motion on the power extraction performance are systematically investigated. It is found that compared to the single flapping foil, the efficiency of power extraction for the flapping foil with an auxiliary device can be improved. Based on the numerical analysis, it is indicated that the enhanced plunging contribution, which is caused by the increased lift force owing to the vortex interaction, directly helps the efficiency improvement.     

Unsteady bio-fluid dynamics in flying and swimming

Flying and swimming in nature present sophisticated and exciting ventures in biomimetics, which seeks sustainable solutions and solves practical problems by emulating nature's time-tested patterns, functions, and strategies. Bio-fluids in insect and bird flight, as well as in fish swimming are highly dynamic and unsteady; however, they have been studied mostly with a focus on the phenomena associated with a body or wings moving in a steady flow. Characterized by unsteady wing flapping and body undulation, fluid-structure interactions, flexible wings and bodies, turbulent environments, and complex maneuver, bio-fluid dynamics normally have challenges associated with low Reynolds number regime and high unsteadiness in modeling and analysis of flow physics. In this article, we review and highlight recent advances in unsteady bio-fluid dynamics in terms of leading-edge vortices, passive mechanisms in flexible wings and hinges, flapping flight in unsteady environments, and micro-structured aerodynamics in flapping flight, as well as undulatory swimming, flapping-fin hydrodynamics, body–fin interac-tion, C-start and maneuvering, swimming in turbulence,collective swimming, and micro-structured hydrodynamics in swimming. We further give a perspective outlook on future challenges and tasks of several key issues of the field.     

Transient mode localization in coupled strongly nonlinear exactly solvable oscillators

Coupled strongly nonlinear oscillators, whose characteristic is close to linear for low amplitudes but becomes infinitely growing as the amplitude approaches certain limit, are considered in this paper. Such a model may serve for understanding the dynamics of elastic structures within the restricted space bounded by stiff constraints. In particular, this study focuses on the evolution of vibration modes as the energy is gradually pumped into or dissipates out of the system. For instance, based on the two degrees of freedom system, it is shown that the in-phase and out-of-phase motions may follow qualitatively different scenarios as the system’ energy increases. So the in-phase mode appears to absorb the energy with equipartition between the masses. In contrast, the out-of-phase mode provides equal energy distribution only until certain critical energy level. Then, as a result of bifurcation of the 1:1 resonance path, one of the masses becomes a dominant energy receiver in such a way that it takes the energy not only from the main source but also from another mass.     

Unsteady response of airfoils due to small-scale pitching motion with considerations for foil thickness and wake motion

Unsteady pressures, forces, and pitching moments generated by foils experiencing vibratory motion in an incompressible, attached flow configuration are studied within this work. Specifically, two-dimensional, unsteady potential flow and unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes calculations are performed on various Joukowski foils undergoing sinusoidal, variable amplitude, small-scale pitching motion at a chord-based Reynolds number of 10${}^6$ over a range of reduced frequencies between 0.01–100. These calculated results from both approaches are compared directly to predictions from implementing the Theodorsen model, which treats foils as infinitely thin, flat plates that shed a planar sheet of vorticity. The effects of relaxing these seemingly strict conditions are explored, and the particular terms which control the unsteady responses are identified and discussed. For increasing pitch amplitudes and reduced frequencies the shed wake is seen to become quite non-planar and to form coherent vortex structures. Despite this wake behavior, the normalized airfoil responses at the disturbance reduced frequency are seen to be largely unaffected. However, non-negligible responses are generated across a wide range of other frequencies. Potential flow calculations for symmetric Joukowski foils show that there is marginal effect of foil thickness at reduced frequencies less than one. For higher reduced frequency conditions however, the unsteady lift response is seen to experience both an amplification of level and a phase shift relative to the Theodorsen model. A specific augmenting expression is developed for this behavior through analysis within the potential flow framework.     

铝箔力学性能的实验研究

铝箔已被广泛应用于电子工业,现又被用作锂电池正极集流体,因而对于铝箔的力学性能要求也在不断提高。通过表征和研究铝箔的力学性能(弹性模量、屈服强度、断裂强度等),能够为铝箔相关技术的可靠性研究提供必要的数据支持和理论指导,从而使铝箔得到合理和可靠的使用。本文运用微拉伸、纳米压痕和动态力学分析(DMA)实验,分别研究了不同厚度的H18态和O态铝箔的力学性能。结果表明两者的弹性模量均约为30GPa,仅为块材的一半;H18态铝箔材料的断裂强度要明显强于块材,而O态铝箔材料的断裂强度则明显小于块材;此外,H18态铝箔材料的屈服强度明显大于块材,O态铝箔材料的屈服强度与块材相仿。并且,随着厚度的增加,H18态铝箔材料的延伸率显著增大,但是仍远小于块材。通过扫描电子显微镜(SEM)对铝箔材料断裂形貌进行微观分析,发现铝箔的拉伸断裂方式为脆性断裂。     

Experimental investigation of the effect of chordwise flexibility on the aerodynamics of flapping wings in hovering flight

Ornithopters or mechanical birds produce aerodynamic lift and thrust through the flapping motion of their wings. Here, we use an experimental apparatus to investigate the effects of a wing's twisting stiffness on the generated thrust force and the power required at different flapping frequencies. A flapping wing system and an experimental set-up were designed to measure the unsteady aerodynamic and inertial forces, power usage and angular speed of the flapping wing motion. A data acquisition system was set-up to record important data with the appropriate sampling frequency. The aerodynamic performance of the vehicle under hovering (i.e., no wind) conditions was investigated. The lift and thrust that were produced were measured for different flapping frequencies and for various wings with different chordwise flexibilities. The results show the manner in which the elastic deformation and inertial flapping forces affect the dynamical behavior of the wing. It is shown that the generalization of the actuator disk theory is, at most, only valid for rigid wings, and for flexible wings, the power P varies by a power of about 1.0  of the thrust T. This aerodynamic information can also be used as benchmark data for unsteady flow solvers.     

Unsteady free surface wave-induced separation: Vortical structures and instabilities

Vortical structures and instability mechanisms of the unsteady free surface wave-induced separation around a surface-piercing NACA0024 foil at a Froude number of 0.37 and a Reynolds number of 1.52×10⁶ are studied using an unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) code with a blended k?ε/k?ω turbulence model and a free surface tracking method. At the free surface, the separated flow reattaches to the foil surface resulting in a wall-bounded separation bubble. The mean and instantaneous flow topologies in the separation region are similar to the owl-face pattern. The initial shear-layer instability, the Karman-like instability, and the flapping instability are identified, and their scaling and physical mechanisms are studied. Validation with experimental fluid dynamics (EFD) and comparison with complementary detached-eddy simulation (DES) indicate that URANS resolves part of the organized oscillations due to the large-scale unsteady vortical structures and instabilities, thereby capturing the gross features of the unsteady separation. The URANS solutions show an initial amplitude defect of 30% for the free surface oscillations where the shear layer separates, and the defect progressively increases downstream as URANS rapidly dissipates the rolled up vortices.