Experimental analysis of passive bio-inspired covert feathers for stall and post-stall performance enhancement

Technologies inspired by the functioning and behavior of biological beings are commonly developed for aircraft flight. Among the bio-inspired approaches that have grown in interest, particularly for unmanned aerial vehicle flight, is based on the behavior of bird’s cover feathers under higher angles of attack. The covert feathers, when activated by separated flows, promote lift increment that helps in certain maneuvers. This work investigates the benefit in the stall and post-stall performance of employing bio-inspired covert feathers devices attached to an airfoil’s upper surface. To fill the gaps in the recent technical literature, experimental analysis of an SD7003 airfoil was executed in a wind tunnel with the application of bio-inspired covert feathers of different shapes and tapes in three chordwise positions. The bio-inspired devices were conceived to resemble the feathers’ lightness and discrete-distribution along with the wing model. Experiments were carried out measuring the aerodynamic forces and moment at Reynolds number around 170,000 for static and dynamic ramp-up and hold pitching motion. It has been confirmed that the use of bio-inspired covert feathers brought benefits to the stall and post-stall behavior of the airfoil. The maximum lift has increased, and the transition from attached to stalled flow around the airfoil tends to be smoother when the devices were used. Four shapes for the bio-inspired devices and three positions in chordwise direction were considered. The best performance among the case was encountered for a jagged bio-inspired device taped at a quarter-chord position. Indeed, the most forward position for all the devices resulted in higher maximum lift and increment to the respective angle of attack. Ramp-up and hold wind tunnel tests also confirmed the best performance of jagged bio-inspired devices nearer the leading edge. The aerodynamic response to the pitching motion showed that the stall and post-stall regime occur much smoother, indicating that the approach presents good potential for dynamic stall or gust response passive control.

     

Effect of flow regime change from subsonic to transonic on the air loads of an oscillating airfoil

In this research, the effect of flow regime change from subsonic to transonic on the air loads of a pitching NACA0012 airfoil is investigated. To do this, the effect of change in flow regime on the lift and pitching moment coefficients hysteresis cycles is studied. The harmonic balance approach is utilized for numerical calculation due to its low computational time. Verifications are also made with previous works and good agreements are observed. The assessment of flow regime change on the aforementioned hysteresis cycles is accomplished in the Mach number range of M=0.65–0.755. The reduced frequency and pitch amplitude also vary from k=0.03 to 0.1 and α₀=1–2.51°, respectively. Results show that the effect of increase in Mach number is to increase and decrease the lift coefficient during downstroke and upstroke, respectively, whereas at low reduced frequencies, the effect of increase in Mach number may lead to a reverse manner when airfoil moves toward its extremum angle of attack. Results also reveal that as the pitch amplitude varies, the shape of lift coefficient hysteresis cycle depends more on the pitch amplitude than on the appearance of shock. It is shown that as the Mach number increases, the incidence angles correspond to the extremum pitching moment, and depending on the reduced frequency, lie between zero and extremum angle of attack. These incidence angles shift toward the extremum angle of attack as the reduced frequency decreases. Results also show that the increase in pitch amplitude at low Mach number, in such a way that leads to the formation of shock around the extremum angle of attack, causes the extremum pitching moment to appear around these angles and at high Mach number, depending on the reduced frequency, the extremum pitching moment incidence angles would be between zero and extremum incidence angle.     

Numerical investigations into the asymmetric effects on the aerodynamic response of a pitching airfoil

The effects of asymmetric sinusoidal motion on pitching airfoil aerodynamics were studied by numerical simulations for 2-D flow around a NACA0012 airfoil at Re=1.35×10⁵. Various unsteady parameters (amplitude of oscillation, d; reduced frequency, k) were applied to investigate the effect of asymmetry parameter S on the instantaneous force coefficients and flow patterns. The results reveal that S has a noticeable effect on the aerodynamic performance, as it affects the instantaneous force coefficient, maximum lift and drag coefficient, hysteresis loops and the flow structures.     

Effect of uncertainty on the bifurcation behavior of pitching airfoil stall flutter

In this paper the effect of system parametric uncertainty on the stall flutter bifurcation behavior of a pitching airfoil is studied. The aerodynamic moment on the two-dimensional rigid airfoil with nonlinear torsional stiffness is computed using the ONERA dynamic stall model. The pitch natural frequency, a cubic structural nonlinearity parameter, and the structural equilibrium angle are assumed to be uncertain. The effect on the amplitude of the response, the bifurcation of the probability distribution, and the flutter boundary is considered. It is demonstrated that the system parametric uncertainty results already in 5% probability of pitching stall flutter at a 12.5% earlier position than the point where a deterministic analysis would predict unstable behavior. Probabilistic collocation is found to be more efficient than the Galerkin polynomial chaos method and Monte Carlo simulation for modeling uncertainty in the post-bifurcation domain.     

等速上仰翼型动态失速现象研究

翼型大迎角绕流的静态失速将造成升力突降和气动性能急剧恶化，但利用非定常运动所产生 的动态失速效应，可以大大地延缓气流分离和失速现象的发生. 采用Rogers发 展的双时间步Roe格式，求解拟压缩性修正不可压N-S方程. 数值模拟了低雷诺数 ($Re=4.8 \times 10^{4}$)条件下NACA0015翼型作等速上仰($\alpha =0^{\circ} \sim 60^{\circ}$)的动态失速过程，同Walker的试验结果比 较，验证了计算结果的正确性. 研究了该过程中主涡、二次涡和三次涡的发展，升 力系数随攻角变化，以及不同上仰速度对动态失速效应所造成的影响.     

Influence of heat transfer on the aerodynamic performance of a plunging and pitching NACA0012 airfoil at low Reynolds numbers

The unsteady low Reynolds number aerodynamics phenomena around flapping wings are addressed in several investigations. Elsewhere, airfoils at higher Mach numbers and Reynolds numbers have been treated quite comprehensively in the literature. It is duly noted that the influence of heat transfer phenomena on the aerodynamic performance of flapping wings configurations is not well studied. The objective of the present study is to investigate the effect of heat transfer upon the aerodynamic performance of a pitching and plunging NACA0012 airfoil in the low Reynolds number flow regime with particular emphasis upon the airfoil's lift and drag coefficients. The compressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved using a finite volume method. To consider the variation of fluid properties with temperature, the values of dynamic viscosity and thermal diffusivity are evaluated with Sutherland's formula and the Eucken model, respectively. Instantaneous and mean lift and drag coefficients are calculated for several temperature differences between the airfoil surface and freestream within the range 0–100 K. Simulations are performed for a prescribed airfoil motion schedule and flow parameters. It is learnt that the aerodynamic performance in terms of the lift C_L and drag C_D behavior is strongly dependent upon the heat transfer rate from the airfoil to the flow field. In the plunging case, the mean value of C_D tends to increase, whereas the amplitude of C_L tends to decrease with increasing temperature difference. In the pitching case, on the other hand, the mean value and the amplitude of both C_D and C_L decrease. A spectral analysis of C_D and C_L in the pitching case shows that the amplitudes of both C_D and C_L decrease with increasing surface temperature, whereas the harmonic frequencies are not affected.     

Numerical study of large amplitude,nonsinusoidal motion and camber effects on pitching airfoil propulsion

The effects of large amplitude and nonsinusoidal motion on pitching airfoil aerodynamics for thrust generation were numerically studied with a 2-D NACA0012 airfoil used, and various 2-D NACA asymmetric airfoils were applied for camber effect study. The large amplitude effect study has been undertaken over a wide range of reduced frequency k (from 6 to 18) and pitching amplitude θ (from 5° to 30°) at Re=1.35×10⁴ with sinusoidal pitching profile used. It is shown that the large pitching amplitude results in much more thrust generated than that at low pitching amplitude and the increase of thrust with amplitude becomes slow when the amplitude reaches some degree. However, the propulsive efficiency noticeably decreases with the increase of θ at a fixed k.An adjustable parameter K was employed to realize various nonsinusoidal motions and the effect of nonsinusoidal motion was investigated with various unsteady parameters (θ, k) applied. The results reveal that nonsinusoidal motion has a noticeable effect on the aerodynamic performance, as it affects the instantaneous force coefficients, maximum thrust coefficients and flow structures. An increase in K results in a better thrust generation performance at fixed θ and k, especially for K>0. It is also shown that the larger K noticeably influences the wake pattern and induces a stronger reverse von Karman vortex street in the wake, which in turn leads to the increased thrust. The camber study was performed on various 2-D NACA airfoils with different cambers and camber locations undergoing sinusoidal pitching motion at θ=5° and Re=1.35×10⁴. It is found that varying camber offers little improvement in thrust generation performance.     

Particle image velocimetry investigation of flow over unsteady airfoil with trailing-edge strip

The flow over a flapped NACA 0012 airfoil, oscillated slightly through the static-stall angle, was investigated by using particle image velocimetry, and was supplemented by surface pressure and dynamic-load measurements. A significant increase in the dynamic lift force and nose-down pitching moment was observed. The most pronounced flow phenomenon was the formation and detachment of an energetic leading-edge vortex compared to the no-flapped airfoil. The details of the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for the various light-stall flow processes were provided via the instantaneous velocity and vorticity fields measurements. In contrast to the Gurney flap, the inverted trailing-edge strip led to an improved negative damping while a reduced lift force. The addition of an inverted strip always led to the appearance of a Karman-type vortex shedding street immediately downstream of the strip over the entire oscillation cycle.     

固定转捩实验中粗糙带破损对翼型气动特性的影响研究

本文以RAE2822翼型前缘7%位置3mm宽的金刚砂粗糙带为例,研究了粗糙带破损对翼型压力分布的影响。实验结果表明：粗糙带破损会引起激波位置小幅移动,而对翼型后缘压力分布影响很小。当Ma=0.5时,粗糙带破损对升力系数的影响很小;在α≥4°以后粗糙带破损对阻力系数和俯仰力矩系数的影响逐渐增大,且破损位置距翼型中心对称面越远,影响越小。当Ma=0.75时,粗糙带破损对升力系数与阻力系数的影响直到α≥4°后开始逐渐增大,并且随着破损位置远离中心对称面而减弱;俯仰力矩系数对粗糙带破损较为敏感,且粗糙带破损的位置距离中心对称面越远、尺寸越小则影响越小。     

Effects of a trapped vortex cell on a thick wing airfoil

The effects of a trapped vortex cell (TVC) on the aerodynamic performance of a NACA0024 wing model were investigated experimentally at Re = 10⁶ and 6.67×10⁵6.67\times 10^{5}. The static pressure distributions around the model and the wake velocity profiles were measured to obtain lift and drag coefficients, for both the clean airfoil and the controlled configurations. Suction was applied in the cavity region to stabilize the trapped vortex. For comparison, a classical boundary layer suction configuration was also tested. The drag coefficient curve of the TVC-controlled airfoil showed sharp discontinuities and bifurcative behavior, generating two drag modes. A strong influence of the angle of attack, the suction rate and the Reynolds number on the drag coefficient was observed. With respect to the clean airfoil, the control led to a drag reduction only if the suction was high enough. Compared to the classical boundary layer suction configuration, the drag reduction was higher for the same amount of suction only in a specific range of incidence, i.e., α = −2° to α = 6° and only for the higher Reynolds number. For all the other conditions, the classical boundary layer suction configuration gave better drag performances. Moderate increments of lift were observed for the TVC-controlled airfoil at low incidence, while a 20% lift enhancement was observed in the stall region with respect to the baseline. However, the same lift increments were also observed for the classical boundary layer suction configuration. Pressure fluctuation measurements in the cavity region suggested a very complex interaction of several flow features. The two drag modes were characterized by typical unsteady phenomena observed in rectangular cavity flows, namely the shear layer mode and the wake mode.     

Aerodynamics of laminar separation flutter at a transitional Reynolds number

Experimental observations of self-sustained pitch oscillations of a NACA 0012 airfoil at transitional Reynolds numbers were recently reported. The aeroelastic limit cycle oscillations, herein labelled as laminar separation flutter, occur in the range 5.0×10⁴≤Re_c≤1.3×10⁵. They are well behaved, have a small amplitude and oscillate about θ=0°. It has been speculated that laminar separation leading to the formation of a laminar separation bubble, occurring at these Reynolds numbers, plays an essential role in these oscillations. This paper focuses on the Re_c=7.7×10⁴ case, with the elastic axis located at 18.6% chord. Considering that the experimental rig acts as a dynamic balance, the aerodynamic moment is derived and is empirically modelled as a generalized Duffing–van-der-Pol nonlinearity. As expected, it behaves nonlinearly with pitch displacement and rate. It also indicates a dynamically unstable equilibrium point, i.e. negative aerodynamic damping. In addition, large eddy simulations of the flow around the airfoil undergoing prescribed simple harmonic motion, using the same amplitude and frequency as the aeroelastic oscillations, are performed. The comparison between the experiment and simulations is conclusive. Both approaches show that the work done by the airflow on the airfoil is positive and both have the same magnitude. The large eddy simulation (LES) computations indicate that at θ=0°, the pitching motion induces a lag in the separation point on both surfaces of the airfoil resulting in negative pitching moment when pitching down, and positive moment when pitching up, thus feeding the LCO.     

Numerical investigations of the vortex interactions for a flow over a pitching foil at different stages

The fluid–structure interaction is investigated numerically for a two-dimensional flow (Re=2.5·10⁶) over a sinusoid-pitching foil by the SST (Shear Stress Transport) k–ω model. Although discrepancies in the downstroke phase, which are also documented in other numerical studies, are observed by comparing with experimental results, our current numerical results are sufficient to predict the mean features and qualitative tendencies of the dynamic stall phenomenon. These discrepancies are evaluated carefully from the numerical and experimental viewpoints.In this study, we have utilized Λ, which is the normalized second invariant of the velocity gradient tensor, to present the evolution of the Leading Edge Vortex (LEV) and Trailing Edge Vortex (TEV). The convective, pressure, and diffusion terms during the dynamic stall process are discussed based on the transport equation of Λ. It is found that the pressure term dominates the rate of the change of the rotation strength inside the LEV. This trend can hardly be observed directly by using the vorticity transport equation due to the zero baroclinic term for the incompressible flow.The mechanisms to delay the stall are categorized based on the formation of the LEV. At the first stage before the formation of the LEV in the upper surface, the pitching foil provides extra momentum into the fluid flows to resist the flow separation, and hence the stall is delayed. At the second stage, a low-pressure area travels with the evolution of the LEV such that the lift still can be maintained. Three short periods at the second stage corresponds to different flow patterns during the dynamic stall, and these short periods can be distinguished according to the trend of the pressure variation inside the LEV. The lift stall occurs when a reverse flow from the lower surface is triggered during the shedding of the LEV. For a reduced frequency k_f=0.15, the formation of the TEV happens right after the lift stall, and the lift can drop dramatically. With a faster reduced frequency k_f=0.25, the shedding of the LEV is postponed into the downstroke, and the interaction between the LEV and TEV becomes weaker correspondingly. Thus, the lift drops more gently after the stall. In order to acquire more reliable numerical results within the downstroke phase, the Large Eddy Simulation (LES), which is capable of better predictions for the laminar-to-turbulent transition and flow reattachment process, will be considered as the future work.     

Assessment of 2D/3D numerical modeling for deep dynamic stall experiments

The results of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations in two and three spatial dimensions are compared to pressure measurements and particle image velocimetry (PIV) flow surveys to assess the suitability of numerical models for the simulation of deep dynamic stall experiments carried out on a pitching NACA 23012 airfoil. A sinusoidal pitching motion with a 10° amplitude and a reduced frequency of 0.1 is imposed around two different mean angles of attack of 10° and 15°. The comparison of the airloads curves and of the pressure distribution over the airfoil surface shows that a three-dimensional numerical model can better reproduce the flow structures and the airfoil performance for the deep dynamic stall regime. Also, the vortical structures observed by PIV in the flow field are better captured by the three-dimensional model. This feature highlighted the relevance of three-dimensional effects on the flow field in deep dynamic stall.     

Dynamic stall model for wind turbine airfoils

A model is presented for aerodynamic lift of wind turbine profiles under dynamic stall. The model combines memory delay effects under attached flow with reduced lift due to flow separation under dynamic stall conditions. The model is based on a backbone curve in the form of the static lift as a function of the angle of attack. The static lift is described by two parameters, the lift at fully attached flow and the degree of attachment. A relationship between these parameters and the static lift is available from a thin plate approximation. Assuming the parameters to be known during static conditions, nonstationary effects are included by three mechanisms: a delay of the lift coefficient of fully attached flow via a second-order filter, a delay of the development of separation represented via a first-order filter, and a lift contribution due to leading edge separation also represented via a first-order filter. The latter is likely to occur during active pitch control of vibrations. It is shown that all included effects can be important when considering wind turbine blades. The proposed model is validated against test data from two load cases, one at fully attached flow conditions and one during dynamic stall conditions. The proposed model is compared with five other dynamic stall models including, among others, the Beddoes–Leishman model and the ONERA model. It is demonstrated that the proposed model performs equally well or even better than more complicated models and that the included nonstationary effects are essential for obtaining satisfactory results. Finally, the influence of camber and thickness distribution on the backbone curve are analysed. It is shown that both of these effects are adequately accounted for via the static input data.     

Response analysis of a pitch–plunge airfoil with structural and aerodynamic nonlinearities subjected to randomly fluctuating flows

This study focuses on numerically investigating the response dynamics of a pitch–plunge airfoil with structural nonlinearity under dynamic stall conditions. The aeroelastic responses are investigated for both deterministic and randomly time varying flow conditions. To that end, a pitch–plunge airfoil under dynamic stall condition is considered and the nonlinear aerodynamic loads are computed using a Leishman–Beddoes formulation. It is shown that the presence of structural nonlinearities can give rise to a variety of dynamical responses in the pre-flutter regime. Next, a response analysis under the presence of a randomly fluctuating wind is carried out. It is demonstrated that the route to flutter occurs via a regime of pre-flutter oscillations called intermittency. Finally, the manifestation of these stochastic responses is characterized by invoking stochastic bifurcation concepts. The route to flutter via intermittency is presented in terms of topological changes occurring in the joint-probability density function of the state variables.     

Aerodynamic Performance of a Gliding Swallowtail Butterfly Wing Model

In the present study, we perform a wind-tunnel experiment to investigate the aerodynamic performance of a gliding swallowtail-butterfly wing model having a low aspect ratio. The drag, lift and pitching moment are directly measured using a 6-axis force/torque sensor. The lift coefficient increases rapidly at attack angles less than 10° and then slowly at larger attack angles. The lift coefficient does not fall off rapidly even at quite high angles of attack, showing the characteristics of low-aspect-ratio wings. On the other hand, the drag coefficient increases more rapidly at higher angles of attack due to the increase in the effective area responsible for the drag. The maximum lift-to-drag ratio of the present modeled swallowtail butterfly wing is larger than those of wings of fruitfly and bumblebee, and even comparable to those of wings of birds such as the petrel and starling. From the measurement of pitching moment, we show that the modeled swallowtail butterfly wing has a longitudinal static stability. Flow visualization shows that the flow separated from the leading edge reattaches on the wing surface at α < 15°, forming a small separation bubble, and full separation occurs at α ≥ 15°. On the other hand, strong wing-tip vortices are observed in the wake at α ≥ 5° and they are an important source of the lift as well as the main reason for broad stall. Finally, in the absence of long hind-wing tails, the lift and longitudinal static stability are reduced, indicating that the hind-wing tails play an important role in enhancing the aerodynamic performance.     

On the unsteady motion and stability of a heaving airfoil in ground effect

This study explores the fluid mechanics and force generation capabilities of an inverted heaving airfoil placed close to a moving ground using a URANS solver with the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model. By varying the mean ground clearance and motion frequency of the airfoil, it was possible to construct a frequency-height diagram of the various forces acting on the airfoil. The ground was found to enhance the downforce and reduce the drag with respect to freestream. The unsteady motion induces hysteresis in the forces’ behaviour. At moderate ground clearance, the hysteresis increases with frequency and the airfoil loses energy to the flow, resulting in a stabilizing motion. By analogy with a pitching motion, the airfoil stalls in close proximity to the ground. At low frequencies, the motion is unstable and could lead to stall flutter. A stall flutter analysis was undertaken. At higher frequencies, inviscid effects overcome the large separation and the motion becomes stable. Forced trailing edge vortex shedding appears at high frequencies. The shedding mechanism seems to be independent of ground proximity. However, the wake is altered at low heights as a result of an interaction between the vortices and the ground.     

An investigation into the effects of unsteady parameters on the aerodynamics of a low Reynolds number pitching airfoil

The growing applications of low Reynolds number (LRN) operating vehicles impose the need for accurate LRN flow solutions. These applications usually involve complex unsteady phenomena, which depend on the kinematics of the vehicle such as pitching, plunging, and flapping of a wing. The objective of the present study is to address the issues related to LRN aerodynamics of a harmonically pitching NACA0012 airfoil. To this end, the influence of unsteady parameters, namely, amplitude of oscillation, d, reduced frequency, k, and Reynolds number, Re, on the aerodynamic performance of the model is investigated. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is utilized to solve Navier–Stokes (N–S) equations discretized based on the Finite Volume Method (FVM). The resulting instantaneous lift coefficients are compared with analytical data from Theodorsen’s method. The simulation results reveal that d, k, and Re are of great importance in the aerodynamic performance of the system, as they affect the maximum lift coefficients, hysteresis loops, strength, and number of the generated vortices within the harmonic motion, and the extent of the so-called figure-of-eight phenomenon region. Thus, achieving the optimum lift coefficients demands a careful selection of these parameters.     

基于涡流发生器的翼型失速流动控制及雷诺数效应影响研究

针对所设计的三角形涡流发生器开展用于翼型失速流动控制的风洞实验研究,重点讨论涡流发生器几何参数、方向角、安装位置及实验雷诺数等因素对翼型失速流动控制的影响。实验结果表明:涡流发生器作用下,在干净翼失速迎角后能够形成一个升力几乎不随迎角变化的相对稳定的高升力状态,抑制了失速流动的发生,与此同时阻力大幅下降;本文所设计的涡流发生器方向角过大时会削弱翼型失速流动控制的效果;同一涡流发生器作用下雷诺数过大其失速流动控制效果会急剧恶化,第一种涡流发生器控制翼型失速的雷诺数有效范围略宽于第二种涡流发生器。     

An experimental study of the effects of pitch-pivot-point location on the propulsion performance of a pitching airfoil

An experimental investigation was conducted to characterize the evolution of the unsteady vortex structures in the wake of a pitching airfoil with the pitch-pivot-point moving from 0.16C to 0.52C (C is the chord length of the airfoil). The experimental study was conducted in a low-speed wind tunnel with a symmetric NACA0012 airfoil model in pitching motion under different pitching kinematics (i.e., reduced frequency k=3.8–13.2). A high-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) system was used to conduct detailed flow field measurements to quantify the characteristics of the wake flow and the resultant propulsion performance of the pitching airfoil. Besides conducting “free-run” PIV measurements to determine the ensemble-averaged velocity distributions in the wake flow, “phase-locked” PIV measurements were also performed to elucidate further details about the behavior of the unsteady vortex structures. Both the vorticity–moment theorem and the integral momentum theorem were used to evaluate the effects of the pitch-pivot-point location on the propulsion performance of the pitching airfoil. It was found that the pitch-pivot-point would affect the evolution of the unsteady wake vortices and resultant propulsion performance of the pitching airfoil greatly. Moving the pitch-pivot-point of the pitching airfoil can be considered as adding a plunging motion to the original pitching motion. With the pitch-pivot-point moving forward (or backward), the added plunging motion would make the airfoil trailing edge moving in the same (or opposite) direction as of the original pitching motion, which resulted in the generated wake vortices and resultant thrust enhanced (or weakened) by the added plunging motion.