Many developments in aerospace science have originated from nature. One of these developments has been obtained through inspirations from flying locomotion. The aim of this study is to simulate the flapping mechanism of the black-headed gull in forward flight. The wing of the black-headed gull is characterized entirely by complex dihedral, dividing the wing into two distinct parts. Hence, a flapping mechanism with different bending deflection angles is constructed and compared with a primitive flapping mechanism. Firstly, parametric studies are conducted to assess the role of flapping frequency, velocity and bending deflection angle on the lift, thrust and power loading of the membrane flexible wing at 10 ° angle of attack. Secondly, dimensional analysis is used to establish the similarity between the real gull and the constructed mechanism. Superiority of the bending deflection mechanism is concluded in forward flight against simple flapping wing in terms of aerodynamic forces as well as power loading parameter. It is found that although the aerodynamic coefficients decrease with increase in advance ratio, the best power loading of the black-headed gull is obtained between advance ratio of 2 and 3, in the gull's aerodynamically quasi-steady regime.

Sinusoidal leading-edge wings have shown a high performance after the stall region. In this study, the role of smart flaps in the aerodynamics of smooth and sinusoidal leading-edge wings at low Reynolds numbers of 29,000, 40,000 and 58,000 is investigated. Four wings with NACA 634-021 profile are firstly designed and then manufactured by a 3 D printer. Beam bending equation is used to determine the smart flap chord deflection. Next, wind tunnel tests are carried out to measure the lift and drag forces of proposed wings for a wide range of angles of attack, from zero to 36 degrees. Results show that using trailing-edge smart flap in sinusoidal leading-edge wing delays the stall point compared to the same wing without flap. However, a combination of smooth leading-edge wing and smart flap advances the stall. Furthermore, it is found that wings with smart flap generally have a higher lift to drag ratio due to their excellent performance in producing lift.

Scientists have been improving the aerodynamic performance of flapping micro aerial vehicles by drawing inspiration from birds and insect flight. In this research study, first, the flapping mechanism of the black-headed gull is designed and then it is constructed in order to investigate the effects of wing bending deflection on the aerodynamic performance. Thrust generation, power consumption and power loading are considered as performance parameters. Three wings representing different underlying structures, namely flexible membrane, rigid membrane and airfoil, are fabricated with the same planform to investigate the roles of flexibility, thickness and camber. Experiments are performed for flapping frequencies ranging from 1.5 Hz to 6 Hz, 10 degrees angle of attack and no wind tunnel velocity (hovering flight). The results indicate that the aerodynamic performance is improved by using the bending deflection mechanism in comparison with the simple flapping mechanism. Moreover, we can conclude that the performance of the airfoil wing is superior to flexible and rigid wings.

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The paper summarizes recent developments in boundary layer suction for high-speed air intakes. Bleed has been efficiently used in supersonic and hypersonic intakes for three primary reasons: to improve the performance of the intake, to reduce the starting Mach number of the intake, and to postpone the onset of buzz oscillations. A bleed system has many characteristics such as the bleed entrance and exit areas, bleed entrance slant angle and position, and bleed type (slot or porous and ram-scoop or flush). Each of these parameters has significant impacts on the intake performance and stability that have been reviewed in this study. In addition, the effectiveness of other flow control methods has been compared with the bleed method.

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Experimental studies dealing with the wake of isolated stationary bluff-bodies are reviewed. After briefly recalling the pioneering works in this domain, the paper focuses on recent research conducted with the latest experimental methods and techniques. The review encompasses a range of topics, including, the effects of bluff-body geometry (non-circular cross sections and nonuniformity in spanwise direction), steady and unsteady (periodic and non-periodic) inflow conditions; surface proximity (rigid wall, confinement and water free surface) and non-Newtonian fluids. Focus is brought to the flow physics of the wakes, including especially the complex threedimensional and oscillatory behaviours induced by the periodic vortex shedding phenomenon. The paper aims to offer a critical and systematic review of new knowledge and findings on the subject area, as well as emerging? and the most frequently adopted experimental techniques. The review also helps identifying knowledge gaps in the literature that need to be addressed in future investigations.