Towards silent and efficient flight by combining bioinspired owl feather serrations with cicada wing geometry

Zixiao Wei, Stanley Wang, Sean Farris, Naga Chennuri, Ningping Wang, Stara Shinsato, Kahraman Demir, Maya Horii and Grace X. Gu ()
Additional contact information
Zixiao Wei: University of California
Stanley Wang: University of California
Sean Farris: University of California
Naga Chennuri: University of California
Ningping Wang: University of California
Stara Shinsato: University of California
Kahraman Demir: University of California
Maya Horii: University of California
Grace X. Gu: University of California

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract As natural predators, owls fly with astonishing stealth due to the serrated feather morphology that produces advantageous flow characteristics. Traditionally, these serrations are tailored for airfoil edges with simple two-dimensional patterns, limiting their effect on noise reduction while negotiating tradeoffs in aerodynamic performance. Conversely, the intricately structured wings of cicadas have evolved for effective flapping, presenting a potential blueprint for alleviating these aerodynamic limitations. In this study, we formulate a synergistic design strategy that harmonizes noise suppression with aerodynamic efficiency by integrating the geometrical attributes of owl feathers and cicada forewings, culminating in a three-dimensional sinusoidal serration propeller topology that facilitates both silent and efficient flight. Experimental results show that our design yields a reduction in overall sound pressure levels by up to 5.5 dB and an increase in propulsive efficiency by over 20% compared to the current industry benchmark. Computational fluid dynamics simulations validate the efficacy of the bioinspired design in augmenting surface vorticity and suppressing noise generation across various flow regimes. This topology can advance the multifunctionality of aerodynamic surfaces for the development of quieter and more energy-saving aerial vehicles.

Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48454-3 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-48454-3

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48454-3

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().