Enhanced flight performance in non-uniformly flexible wings
Abstract
The flexibility of biological propulsors such as wings and fins is believed to contribute to the higher performance of flying and swimming animals compared with their engineered peers. Flexibility seems to follow a universal design rule that induces bending patterns at about one-third from the distal tip of the propulsor’s span. However, the aerodynamic mechanisms that shaped this convergent design and the potential improvement in performance are not well understood. Here, we analyse the effect of heterogeneous flexibility on the flight performance (range and descent angle) of passively tumbling wings. Using experiments, numerical simulations, and scaling analysis, we demonstrate that spanwise tip flexibility that follows this empirical rule leads to improved flight performance. Improvement in flight range seems to be related to flutter-induced drag reduction. This mechanism is independent of the wing’s auto-rotation and represents a more general trait of wings with non-uniform tip flexibility.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1098/rsif.2020.0352
Entities
People
- Eva Kanso
- John H Costello
- Lionel Vincent
- Min Zheng
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- Marine Biological Laboratory
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Naval Research
- Providence College
- University of Southern California