scholarly journals Insights into leading edge vortex formation and detachment on a pitching and plunging flat plate

2020 ◽  
Vol 61 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Kissing ◽  
Jochen Kriegseis ◽  
Zhenyao Li ◽  
Lihao Feng ◽  
Jeanette Hussong ◽  
...  

Abstract The present study is a prelude to applying different flow control devices on pitching and plunging airfoils with the intention of controlling the growth of the leading edge vortex (LEV); hence, the lift under unsteady stall conditions. As a pre-requisite the parameters influencing the development of the LEV topology must be fully understood and this constitutes the main motivation of the present experimental investigation. The aims of this study are twofold. First, an approach is introduced to validate the comparability between flow fields and LEV characteristics of two different facilities using water and air as working media by making use of a common baseline case. The motivation behind this comparison is that with two facilities the overall parameter range can be significantly expanded. This comparison includes an overview of the respective parameter ranges, control of the airfoil kinematics and careful scrutiny of how post-processing procedures of velocity data from time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) influence the integral properties and topological features used to characterise the LEV development. Second, and based on results coming from both facilities, the appearance of secondary structures and their effect on LEV detachment over an extended parameter range is studied. A Lagrangian flow field analysis based on finite-time Lyapunov Exponent (FTLE) ridges allows precise identification of secondary structures and reveals that their emergence is closely correlated to a vortex Reynolds number threshold computed from the LEV circulation. This threshold is used to model the temporal onset of secondary structures. Further analysis indicates that the emergence of secondary structures causes the LEV to stop accumulating circulation if the shear layer angle at the leading edge of the flat plate has ceased to increase. This information is of particular importance for advanced flow control applications, since efforts to strengthen and/or prolong LEV growth rely on precise knowledge about where and when to apply flow control measures. Graphical abstract

AIAA Journal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 348-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig J. Wojcik ◽  
James H. J. Buchholz

2016 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anya R. Jones ◽  
Albert Medina ◽  
Hannah Spooner ◽  
Karen Mulleners

Author(s):  
Vivek Nair ◽  
Siddarth Chintamani ◽  
B. H. Dennis

A Numerical Analysis is conducted to investigate the Leading Edge Vortex (LEV) dynamics of an elliptic flat plate undergoing 2 dimensional symmetric flapping motion in hover. The plate is modeled with an aspect ratio of 3 and a flapping trajectory resulting in Reynolds number 225 is studied. The leading edge vortex stability is analyzed as a function of the non dimensional formation number and a vorticity transport analysis is carried to understand the flux budgets present. The LEV formation number is found to be 2.6. The results of vorticity analysis show the highly three dimensional nature of the LEV growth for an elliptic geometry.


1993 ◽  
Vol 174 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. Dickinson ◽  
K. G. Gotz

The synthesis of a comprehensive theory of force production in insect flight is hindered in part by the lack of precise knowledge of unsteady forces produced by wings. Data are especially sparse in the intermediate Reynolds number regime (10<Re<1000) appropriate for the flight of small insects. This paper attempts to fill this deficit by quantifying the time-dependence of aerodynamic forces for a simple yet important motion, rapid acceleration from rest to a constant velocity at a fixed angle of attack. The study couples the measurement of lift and drag on a two-dimensional model with simultaneous flow visualization. The results of these experiments are summarized below. 1. At angles of attack below 13.5°, there was virtually no evidence of a delay in the generation of lift, in contrast to similar studies made at higher Reynolds numbers. 2. At angles of attack above 13.5°, impulsive movement resulted in the production of a leading edge vortex that stayed attached to the wing for the first 2 chord lengths of travel, resulting in an 80 % increase in lift compared to the performance measured 5 chord lengths later. It is argued that this increase is due to the process of detached vortex lift, analogous to the method of force production in delta-wing aircraft. 3. As the initial leading edge vortex is shed from the wing, a second vortex of opposite vorticity develops from the trailing edge of the wing, correlating with a decrease in lift production. This pattern of alternating leading and trailing edge vortices generates a von Karman street, which is stable for at least 7.5 chord lengths of travel. 4. Throughout the first 7.5 chords of travel the model wing exhibits a broad lift plateau at angles of attack up to 54°, which is not significantly altered by the addition of wing camber or surface projections. 5. Taken together, these results indicate how the unsteady process of vortex generation at large angles of attack might contribute to the production of aerodynamic forces in insect flight. Because the fly wing typically moves only 2–4 chord lengths each half-stroke, the complex dynamic behavior of impulsively started wing profiles is more appropriate for models of insect flight than are steady-state approximations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 793 ◽  
pp. 229-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyohei Onoue ◽  
Kenneth S. Breuer

We report on the dynamics of the formation and growth of the leading-edge vortex and the corresponding unsteady aerodynamic torque induced by large-scale flow-induced oscillations of an elastically mounted flat plate. All experiments are performed using a high-bandwidth cyber-physical system, which enables the user to access a wide range of structural dynamics using a feedback control system. A series of two-dimensional particle image velocimetry measurements are carried out to characterize the behaviour of the separated flow structures and its relation to the plate kinematics and unsteady aerodynamic torque generation. By modulating the structural properties of the cyber-physical system, we systematically analyse the formation, strength and separation of the leading-edge vortex, and the dependence on kinematic parameters. We demonstrate that the leading-edge vortex growth and strength scale with the characteristic feeding shear-layer velocity and that a potential flow model using the measured vortex circulation and position can, when coupled with the steady moment of the flat plate, accurately predict the net aerodynamic torque on the plate. Connections to previous results on optimal vortex formation time are also discussed.


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