Numerical simulation of bending and length-varying flapping wing using discrete vortex method

Rahul Kumar and Devranjan Samanta
Additional contact information
Rahul Kumar: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar, Punjab 140001, India
Devranjan Samanta: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar, Punjab 140001, India

International Journal of Modern Physics C (IJMPC), 2024, vol. 35, issue 06, 1-30

Abstract: The paper aims to perform numerical simulations of flapping flight using Discrete Vortex Method (DVM) scheme. The scheme is suitable for moderately low Reynolds number (<∼105) and computationally less expensive as the flow domain doesn’t need to be discretized at each time step. Flapping of a one-dimensional (1D) flexible filament in a two-dimensional (2D) inviscid flow is simulated. The effect of bending by varying the wing shape along the spanwise length on aerodynamic performance was studied. It is observed that compared to rigid wings, bending wings are found to be better in generating lift. The effect of various bending wing configurations (F1, F2, F3 and F4) and different methods of imposing the bending (W1, W2 and W3) is studied. It was demonstrated that applying wing bending only during the downstroke phase (W2) is more effective than imposing bending throughout the flapping cycle (W1). Moreover, an effort is made to replicate the bending configuration observed in manta ray fish (W3) to investigate its impact on flow domain characteristics, lift, and thrust forces. Furthermore, the inclusion of a winglet is found to significantly enhance lift generation. In addition to the study of bending effects on aerodynamic performance, the study also seeks to emulate a unique aspect of bat flight kinematics, specifically the dynamic variation in wing span length during flapping. In a comparative analysis of two span length variation strategies, it is discerned that exclusively varying span length during the upstroke phase is the optimal approach for achieving increased lift generation. The study highlights the crucial role of wing bending and span length modulation in achieving elevated lift forces while simultaneously reducing drag. These findings are seen as holding significant promise for the design and optimization of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) utilizing flapping-based lift generation mechanisms, contributing substantially to the identification of optimal parameters for enhancing MAVs’ aerodynamic performance and operational efficiency.

Keywords: Bending wing; span length variation; micro aerial vehicles; discrete vortex method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0129183124500670
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

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:wsi:ijmpcx:v:35:y:2024:i:06:n:s0129183124500670

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from

DOI: 10.1142/S0129183124500670

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Modern Physics C (IJMPC) is currently edited by H. J. Herrmann

More articles in International Journal of Modern Physics C (IJMPC) from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Tai Tone Lim ().