Skip to main content
Search
Search
Quick Search anywhere
Quick Search fdjslkfh
Advanced search
Cart
Join AIAA Institution Login
Skip main navigationClose Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
AIAA Journal logo
Skip to article control options
No AccessFull-Length Paper

Biplane and Tail Effects in Flapping Flight

Published Online:20 Aug 2013https://doi.org/10.2514/1.J052007

Abstract

A numerical investigation is performed on the interference effects in single or biplane flapping airfoil propulsion in the presence of a stationary downstream tail. At a Reynolds number of 1000, this corresponds to the regime of small micro aerial vehicles. The objective of this study is to provide insight into the complex wing–tail interaction effects occurring in flapping-wing propulsion configurations. The effect of the relative distance between the airfoils, as well as the positioning and incidence angle of the tail, is investigated. Adding a tail behind a single flapping airfoil increases the efficiency and average thrust by up to 10 and 25%, respectively. For the biplane flapping airfoils without tail, overall efficiency and average thrust per airfoil increase up to 17 and 126%, respectively, with respect to the single airfoil due to the formation of a strong momentum jet. The effect of adding a tail behind the biplane flapping airfoils depends on the tail’s orientation and location. Increasing the incidence angle of the tail generates higher lift, although at the expense of decreased efficiency and thrust. Lastly, shifting the vertical position of the tail to have it coincide with the middle heaving position of the leading top airfoil gives the best overall performance.

References

  • [1] De Clercq K. M. E., De Kat R., Remes B., van Oudheusden B. W. and Bijl H., “Flow Visualization and Force Measurements on a Hovering Flapping-Wing MAV ‘DelFly II’,” 39th AIAA Fluid Dynamics Conference, AIAA Paper  2009-4035, 2009. LinkGoogle Scholar

  • [2] Pornsin-Sirirak T., “Titanium-Alloy MEMS Wing Technology for a Micro Aerial Vehicle Application,” Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, Vol. 89, Nos. 1–2, 2001, pp. 95–103. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-4247(00)00527-6 SAAPEB 0924-4247 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [3] Platzer M. F., Jones K. D., Young J. and Lai J. C. S., “Flapping-Wing Aerodynamics: Progress and Challenges,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 46, No. 9, 2008, pp. 2136–2149. doi:https://doi.org/10.2514/1.29263 AIAJAH 0001-1452 LinkGoogle Scholar

  • [4] Shyy W., Aono H., Chimakurthi S. K., Trizila P., Kang C., Cesnik C. E. S. and Liu H., “Recent Progress in Flapping Wing Aerodynamics and Aeroelasticity,” Progress in Aerospace Sciences, Vol. 46, No. 7, 2010, pp. 1–44. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paerosci.2010.01.001 PAESD6 0376-0421 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [5] Groen M., Bruggeman B., Remes B., Ruijsink R., van Oudheusden B. W. and Bijl H., “Improving Flight Performance of the Flapping Wing MAV DelFly II,” International Micro Air Vehicle, Braunschweig, Germany, 2010. Google Scholar

  • [6] De Croon G. C. H. E., De Clercq K. M. E., Ruijsink R. and Remes B., “Design, Aerodynamics, and Vision-Based Control of the DelFly,” International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2009, pp. 71–97. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [7] Jones K. D. and Platzer M. F., “Design and Development Considerations for Biologically Inspired Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicles,” Experiments in Fluids, Vol. 46, No. 5, 2009, pp. 799–810. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-009-0654-1 EXFLDU 0723-4864 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [8] Platzer M. F., Young J. and Lai J. C. S., “Flapping-Wing Technology: The Potential for Air Vehicle Propulsion and Airborne Power Generation,” 26th International Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences, 2008. Google Scholar

  • [9] Tuncer I. H. and Kaya M., “Thrust Generation Caused By Flapping Airfoils in a Biplane Configuration,” Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 40, No. 3, 2003, pp. 509–515. doi:https://doi.org/10.2514/2.3124 JAIRAM 0021-8669 LinkGoogle Scholar

  • [10] Kaya M., Tuncer I. H., Jones K. D. and Platzer M. F., “Optimization of Flapping Motion Parameters for Two Airfoils in a Biplane Configuration,” Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 46, No. 2, 2009, pp. 583–592. doi:https://doi.org/10.2514/1.38796 JAIRAM 0021-8669 LinkGoogle Scholar

  • [11] Miao J.-M., Sun W.-H. and Tai C.-H., “Numerical Analysis on Aerodynamic Force Generation of Biplane Counter-Flapping Flexible Airfoils,” Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 46, No. 5, 2009, pp. 1785–1794. doi:https://doi.org/10.2514/1.43181 JAIRAM 0021-8669 LinkGoogle Scholar

  • [12] Schmidt W., “Der wellpropeller, ein Neuer Antrieb für Wasser-, Land- und Luftfahrzeuge,” Zeitschrift für Flugwissenschaften und Weltraumforschung, Vol. 12, 1965, pp. 472–479. Google Scholar

  • [13] Huyer S. A. and Luttges M. W., “Unsteady Flow Interactions Between the Wake of an Oscillating Airfoil and a Stationary Trailing Airfoil,” AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, AIAA, Washington, D.C., 1988, pp. 473–482. Google Scholar

  • [14] Platzer M. F., Neace K. S. and Pang C.-K., “Aerodynamic Analysis of Flapping Wing Propulsion,” AIAA 31st Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, AIAA Paper  1993-0484, 1993. LinkGoogle Scholar

  • [15] Tuncer I. H. and Platzer M. F., “Thrust Generation due to Airfoil Flapping,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 34, No. 2, 1996, pp. 324–331. doi:https://doi.org/10.2514/3.13067 AIAJAH 0001-1452 LinkGoogle Scholar

  • [16] Rival D., Manejev R. and Tropea C., “Measurement of Parallel Blade–Vortex Interaction at Low Reynolds Numbers,” Experiments in Fluids, Vol. 49, No. 1, 2010, pp. 89–99. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-009-0796-1 EXFLDU 0723-4864 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [17] De Clercq K. M. E., De Kat R., Remes B., van Oudheusden B. W. and Bijl H., “Aerodynamic Experiments on DelFly II: Unsteady Lift Enhancement,” International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles, Vol. 1, No. 4, 2009, pp. 255–262. CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [18] Wang Z. J., “Unsteady Forces and Flows in Low Reynolds Number Hovering Flight: Two-Dimensional Computations vs Robotic Wing Experiments,” Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol. 207, No. 3, 2004, pp. 449–460. doi:https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.00739 JEBIAM 0022-0949 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [19] Mittal R. and Iaccarino G., “Immersed Boundary Methods,” Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 37, No. 1, 2005, pp. 239–261. doi:https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.fluid.37.061903.175743 ARVFA3 0066-4189 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [20] Ravoux J. F., Nadim A. and Haj-Hariri H., “An Embedding Method for Bluff Body Flows: Interactions of Two Side-by-Side Cylinder Wakes,” Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics, Vol. 16, No. 6, 2003, pp. 433–466. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00162-003-0090-4 TCFDEP 0935-4964 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [21] Udaykumar H. S., Mittal R., Rampunggoon P. and Khanna A., “A Sharp Interface Cartesian Grid Method for Simulating Flows with Complex Moving Boundaries,” Journal of Computational Physics, Vol. 174, No. 1, 2001, pp. 345–380. doi:https://doi.org/10.1006/jcph.2001.6916 JCTPAH 0021-9991 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [22] Lim K. B. and Tay W. B., “Numerical Analysis of the s1020 Airfoils in Tandem Under Different Flapping Configurations,” Acta Mechanica Sinica, Vol. 26, No. 2, Oct. 2009, pp. 191–207. LHHPAE 0459-1879 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [23] Kim D. and Choi H., “A Second-Order Time-Accurate Finite Volume Method for Unsteady Incompressible Flow on Hybrid Unstructured Grids,” Journal of Computational Physics, Vol. 162, No. 2, 2000, pp. 411–428. doi:https://doi.org/10.1006/jcph.2000.6546 JCTPAH 0021-9991 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [24] Tay W. B. and Lim K. B., “Analysis of Non-Symmetrical Flapping Airfoils,” Acta Mechanica Sinica, Vol. 25, No. 4, 2009, pp. 433–450. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-009-0259-1 LHHPAE 0459-1879 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [25] Pauley L. L., Moin P. and Reynolds W. C., “The Structure of 2-Dimensional Separation,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 220, 1990, pp. 397–411. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112090003317 JFLSA7 0022-1120 CrossrefGoogle Scholar

  • [26] Groen M. A., “PIV and Force Measurements on the Flapping-Wing MAV DelFly II,” M.S. Thesis, Delft Univ. of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, 2010. Google Scholar

Previous article
Next article