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A perching bird is able to rapidly decelerate while maintaining lift and control, but the underlying aerodynamic mechanism is poorly understood. In this work we perform a study on a simultaneously decelerating and pitching aerofoil section to increase our understanding of the unsteady aerodynamics of perching. We first explore the problem analytically, developing expressions for the added-mass and circulatory forces arising from boundary-layer separation on a flat-plate aerofoil. Next, we study the model problem through a detailed series of experiments at Re = 22000 and two-dimensional simulations at Re = 2000. Simulated vorticity fields agree with particle image velocimetry measurements, showing the same wake features and vorticity magnitudes. Peak lift and drag forces during rapid perching are measured to be more than 10 times the quasi-steady values. The majority of these forces can be attributed to added-mass energy transfer between the fluid and aerofoil, and to energy lost to the fluid by flow separation at the leading and trailing edges. Thus, despite the large angles of attack and decreasing flow velocity, this simple pitch-up manoeuvre provides a means through which a perching bird can maintain high lift and drag simultaneously while slowing to a controlled stop.

The force evolution and associated vortex dynamics on a nominal two-dimensional tandem pitching and plunging configuration inspired by hovering dragonfly-like flight have been investigated experimentally using time-resolved particle image velocimetry. The aerodynamic forces acting on the flat plates have been determined using a classic control-volume approach, i.e. a momentum balance. It was found that only the tandem phasing of ψ = 90° was capable of generating similar levels of thrust when compared to the single-plate reference case. For this tandem configuration, however, a much more constant thrust generation was developed over the cycle. Further examination showed that the force and vortex development on the fore-plate was unaffected by the tandem configuration and that nearly all variations in performance could be attributed to the vortex interaction on the hind-plate. By calculating the trajectory and strength of the hind-plate's trailing-edge vortex, the chain-like vortex interaction mechanism responsible for improved performance at ψ = 90° could be identified. The underlying result from this study suggests that the dominant vortex interaction in dragonfly flight is two dimensional and that the spanwise flow generated by root-flapping kinematics is not entirely necessary for efficient propulsion but potentially due to evolutionary restrictions in nature.