Computational Fluid Dynamic Analysis of Flapping Wing of Micro Aerial Vehicle at Very Low Reynolds Numbers Turbulent Flow

Abstract

This research presents the development of a bioinspired flapping flight system and a characterization of its performance when operating in turbulent airflow conditions. This system consists of a structure installed within wind tunnel for two dimensions and three dimensions of a Flapping Wing Micro Aerial Vehicles (FWMAV). Each airfoil or wing is able to deform into a classical flow pattern is the von Krmn vortex street that can form as fluid flows past an object. These vortices may induce vibrations in the object. This problem involves a fluid structure interaction (FSI) where the large deformation affects the flowpath. The exert load is predominately performed in the trailing edge of the airfoil or on the tip of the wing, and the reaction forces are generated by the feathers located at the leading edge. For this study, the focus presents a benchmark case of the NACA0012 and s1223 airfoils with the trailing edge flap design operating in a turbulent airflow. Finite element analysis (FEA) is used to model the flow field and the fluid-structure interactions using Direct Numerical Simulation. Additionally, the airfoils or wings' aerodynamic performance is comparatively analyzed between time-dependent and FSI turbulence model. This paper discusses how these two air foils or wings, and time-dependent FSI turbulent flow simulation results can be developed to serve the flapping flight for unmanned aerial system.

Numerical Investigation of Aerodynamic Characteristics of Wing of Ichoku-18 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

“…Re is a non-dimensional parameter that represents the ratio of inertia and viscous forces [17]. It provides a quantitative representation of the degree of turbulence in a ow and is represented in Equation 9 [18,19].…”