Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T06:53:49.807Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Relationship between aerodynamic forces, flow structures and wing camber for rotating insect wing planforms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 July 2013

R. R. Harbig ,
J. Sheridan  and
M. C. Thompson
R. R. Harbig*
Affiliation:
Fluids Laboratory for Aeronautical and Industrial Research (FLAIR), Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
J. Sheridan
Affiliation:
Fluids Laboratory for Aeronautical and Industrial Research (FLAIR), Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
M. C. Thompson
Affiliation:
Fluids Laboratory for Aeronautical and Industrial Research (FLAIR), Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
*
†Email address for correspondence: robert.harbig@monash.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Wing deformation is observed during the flight of some insect species; however, the effect of these distorted wing shapes on the leading edge vortex (LEV) is not well understood. In this study, we investigate the effect of one of these deformation parameters, (rigid) wing camber, on the flow structures and aerodynamic forces for insect-like wings, using a numerical model of an altered fruit fly wing revolving at a constant angular velocity. Both positive and negative camber was investigated at Reynolds numbers of 120 and 1500, along with the chordwise location of maximum camber. It was found that negatively cambered wings produce very similar LEV structures to non-cambered wings at both Reynolds numbers, but high positive camber resulted in the formation of multiple streamwise vortices at the higher Reynolds number, which disrupt the development of the main LEV. Despite this, positively cambered wings were found to produce higher lift to drag ratios than flat or negatively cambered wings. It was determined that a region of low pressure near the wing’s leading edge, combined with the curvature of the wing’s upper surface in this region, resulted in a vertical tilting of the net force vector for positively cambered wings, which explains how insects can benefit from wing camber.

JFM classification

Biological Fluid Dynamics: Biological Fluid Dynamics Biological Fluid Dynamics: Swimming/flying
Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 730 , 10 September 2013 , pp. 52 - 75
Copyright
©2013 Cambridge University Press 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Altshuler, D. L., Dudley, R. & Ellington, C. P. 2004 Aerodynamic forces of revolving hummingbird wings and wing models. J. Zoology 264, 327–332.Google Scholar
Aono, H., Liang, F. & Liu, H. 2008 Near- and far-field aerodynamics in insect hovering flight: an integrated computational study. J. Expl Biol. 211, 239–257.Google Scholar
Birch, J. M. & Dickinson, M. H. 2001 Spanwise flow and the attachment of the leading-edge vortex on insect wings. Nature 412, 729–733.Google Scholar
Birch, J. M., Dickson, W. B. & Dickinson, M. H. 2004 Force production and flow structure of the leading edge vortex on flapping wings at high and low Reynolds numbers. J. Expl Biol. 207 (7), 1063–1072.Google Scholar
Dickinson, M. H. & Gotz, K. G. 1993 Unsteady aerodynamic performance of model wings at low Reynolds numbers. J. Expl Biol. 174 (1), 45–65.Google Scholar
Dickinson, M. H., Lehmann, F.-O. & Sane, S. P. 1999 Wing rotation and the aerodynamic basis of insect flight. Science 284 (5422), 1954–1960.Google Scholar
Du, G. & Sun, M. 2008 Effects of unsteady deformation of flapping wing on its aerodynamic forces. Z. Angew. Math. Mech.: Appl. Math. Mech. 29 (6), 731–743.Google Scholar
Ellington, C. P. 1984 The aerodynamics of hovering insect flight. Part 3. Kinematics. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B: Biol. Sci. 305 (1122), 41–78.Google Scholar
Ellington, C. P., van den Berg, C., Willmott, A. P. & Thomas, A. L. R. 1996 Leading-edge vortices in insect flight. Nature 384 (19), 626–630.Google Scholar
Gopalakrishnan, P. & Tafti, D. K. 2010 Effect of wing flexibility on lift and thrust production in flapping flight. AIAA J. 48 (5), 865–877.Google Scholar
Hall, M. G. 1972 Vortex breakdown. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 4 (1), 195–218.Google Scholar
Harbig, R. R., Sheridan, J. & Thompson, M. C. 2013 Reynolds number and aspect ratio effects on the leading-edge vortex for rotating insect wing planforms. J. Fluid Mech. 717, 166–192.Google Scholar
Hunt, J. C. R., Wray, A. A. & Moin, P. 1988 Eddies, streams, and convergence zones in turbulent flows. Center for Turbulence Research Tech. Rep. CTR-S88.Google Scholar
Jensen, M. 1956 Biology and physics of locust flight. Part 3. The aerodynamics of locust flight. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B: Biol. Sci. 239 (667), 511–552.Google Scholar
Kweon, J. & Choi, H. 2010 Sectional lift coefficient of a flapping wing in hovering motion. Phys. Fluids 22 (7), 071703.Google Scholar
Lentink, D. & Dickinson, M. H. 2009 Rotational accelerations stabilize leading edge vortices on revolving fly wings. J. Expl Biol. 212 (16), 2705–2719.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Liu, H. & Aono, H. 2009 Size effects on insect hovering aerodynamics: an integrated computational study. Bioinspir. Biomim. 4, 015002.Google Scholar
Lu, Y., Shen, G. X. & Lai, G. J. 2006 Dual leading-edge vortices on flapping wings. J. Expl Biol. 209, 5005–5016.Google Scholar
Nakata, T. & Liu, H. 2012a A fluid–structure interaction model of insect flight with flexible wings. J. Comput. Phys. 231 (4), 1822–1847.Google Scholar
Nakata, T. & Liu, H. 2012b Aerodynamic performance of a hovering hawkmoth with flexible wings: a computational approach. Proc. R. Soc. B: Biol. Sci. 279 (1729), 722–731.Google Scholar
Phillips, N., Knowles, K. & Lawson, N. J. 2010 Effect of wing planform shape on the flow structures of an insect-like flapping wing in hover. In 27th Inernational Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences, 19–24 September 2010, Nice, France. Paper ICAS 2010-6.10.4.http://www.icas.org/ICAS_ARCHIVE/ICAS2010/ABSTRACTS/260.HTM.Google Scholar
Poelma, C., Dickson, W. B. & Dickinson, M. H. 2006 Time-resolved reconstruction of the full velocity field around a dynamically-scaled flapping wing. Exp. Fluids 41 (2), 213–225.Google Scholar
Roache, P. J. 1998 Verification of codes and calculations. AIAA J. 36 (5), 696–702.Google Scholar
Shyy, W. & Liu, H. 2007 Flapping wings and aerodynamic lift: the role of leading-edge vortices. AIAA J. 45 (12), 2817–2819.Google Scholar
Srygley, R. B. & Thomas, A. L. R. 2002 Unconventional lift-generating mechanisms in free-flying butterflies. Nature 420, 660–664.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tsuzuki, N., Sato, S. & Abe, T. 2007 Design guidelines of rotary wings in hover for insect-scale micro air vehicle applications. J. Aircraft 44 (1), 252–263.Google Scholar
Usherwood, J. R. & Ellington, C. P. 2002 The aerodynamics of revolving wings. Part 1. Model hawkmoth wings. J. Expl Biol. 205 (11), 1547–1564.Google Scholar
Vogel, S 1967 Flight in Drosophila. Part 3. Aerodynamic characteristics of fly wings and wing models. J. Expl Biol. 46, 431–443.Google Scholar
Walker, S. M., Thomas, A. L. R. & Taylor, G. K. 2009 Deformable wing kinematics in the desert locust: how and why do camber, twist and topography vary through the stroke? J. R. Soc.: Interface 6 (38), 735–747.Google ScholarPubMed
Walker, S. M., Thomas, A. L. R. & Taylor, G. K. 2010 Deformable wing kinematics in free-flying hoverflies. J. R. Soc.: Interface 7 (42), 131–142.Google Scholar
Weis-Fogh, T. 1973 Quick estimates of flight fitness in hovering animals, including novel mechanisms for lift production. J. Expl Biol. 59, 169–230.Google Scholar
Wootton, R. J. 1981 Support and deformability in insect wings. J. Zoology 193, 447–468.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, J., Walker, S. M., Bomphrey, R. J., Taylor, G. K. & Thomas, A. L. R. 2009 Details of insect wing design and deformation enhance aerodynamic function and flight efficiency. Science 325 (5947), 1549–1552.Google Scholar
Zanker, J. M. & Gotz, K. G. 1990 The wing beat of Drosophila melanogaster. Part 2. Dynamics. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B: Biol. Sci. 327, 19–44.Google Scholar
Zhao, L., Deng, X. & Sane, S. P. 2011a Modulation of leading edge vorticity and aerodynamic forces in flexible flapping wings. Bioinspir. Biomim. 6 (3), 036007.Google Scholar
Zhao, L., Deng, X. & Sane, S. P. 2011b Trailing edge flexion influences leading edge vortices and aerodynamic forces in flapping wings. In 49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, 4–7 January 2011, Orlando, Florida. Paper AIAA 2011-1310.Google Scholar
Zhao, L., Huang, Q., Deng, X. & Sane, S. P. 2010 Aerodynamic effects of flexibility in flapping wings. J. R. Soc.: Interface 7 (44), 485–497.Google Scholar

Harbig et al. suplementary movie

Change in vortex structure throughout the simulation for 0%

Download Harbig et al. suplementary movie(Video)
Video 6.6 MB

Harbig et al. suplementary movie

-15%

Download Harbig et al. suplementary movie(Video)
Video 8 MB

Harbig et al. suplementary movie

and 15% camber wings (p/c = 0.5). Vortex structures are visualised using surfaces of constant Q criterion and are coloured by spanwise vorticity to indicate direction; blue is negative and green is positive. Images are taken perpendicular to the wing surface.

Download Harbig et al. suplementary movie(Video)
Video 6.1 MB