scholarly journals Span efficiency in hawkmoths

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (84) ◽  
pp. 20130099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Henningsson ◽  
Richard J. Bomphrey

Flight in animals is the result of aerodynamic forces generated as flight muscles drive the wings through air. Aerial performance is therefore limited by the efficiency with which momentum is imparted to the air, a property that can be measured using modern techniques. We measured the induced flow fields around six hawkmoth species flying tethered in a wind tunnel to assess span efficiency, e i , and from these measurements, determined the morphological and kinematic characters that predict efficient flight. The species were selected to represent a range in wingspan from 40 to 110 mm (2.75 times) and in mass from 0.2 to 1.5 g (7.5 times) but they were similar in their overall shape and their ecology. From high spatio-temporal resolution quantitative wake images, we extracted time-resolved downwash distributions behind the hawkmoths, calculating instantaneous values of e i throughout the wingbeat cycle as well as multi-wingbeat averages. Span efficiency correlated positively with normalized lift and negatively with advance ratio. Average span efficiencies for the moths ranged from 0.31 to 0.60 showing that the standard generic value of 0.83 used in previous studies of animal flight is not a suitable approximation of aerodynamic performance in insects.

Author(s):  
Daksh Bhatia ◽  
Praneeth KR ◽  
Babu Rao Ponangi ◽  
Meghana Athadkar ◽  
Carine V Dsouza

Non-pneumatic tyres (NPT) provide a greater advantage over the pneumatic type owing to their construct which increases the reliability of the tyre operation and effectively reduces maintenance involved. Analysing the aerodynamic forces acting on a NPT becomes a crucial factor in understanding it’s suitability for practical implementation. In the present work, the aerodynamic performance of a NPT using CFD tool – SimScale® is studied. This work includes a comparative study of a pneumatic tyre, a NPT with wedge spokes and a NPT with hexagonal spokes (NPT-HS). The effect of air velocity, steering (yaw) angle and camber angle on the aerodynamic performance of the NPT-HS is evaluated using CFD. By increasing the steering angle from 0° to 15°, the lift coefficient decreases by 37% approximately at all velocities. Whereas drag coefficient initially decreases by 21% till 7.5° steering angle and then starts increasing. Increasing camber angle from 0° to 1.5°, both drag and lift coefficients goes on decreasing by approximately 7% and 27% respectively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhik Datta ◽  
Kian Fong Ng ◽  
Deepan Balakrishnan ◽  
Melissa Ding ◽  
See Wee Chee ◽  
...  

AbstractFast, direct electron detectors have significantly improved the spatio-temporal resolution of electron microscopy movies. Preserving both spatial and temporal resolution in extended observations, however, requires storing prohibitively large amounts of data. Here, we describe an efficient and flexible data reduction and compression scheme (ReCoDe) that retains both spatial and temporal resolution by preserving individual electron events. Running ReCoDe on a workstation we demonstrate on-the-fly reduction and compression of raw data streaming off a detector at 3 GB/s, for hours of uninterrupted data collection. The output was 100-fold smaller than the raw data and saved directly onto network-attached storage drives over a 10 GbE connection. We discuss calibration techniques that support electron detection and counting (e.g., estimate electron backscattering rates, false positive rates, and data compressibility), and novel data analysis methods enabled by ReCoDe (e.g., recalibration of data post acquisition, and accurate estimation of coincidence loss).


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2535
Author(s):  
Chengyong Zhu ◽  
Tongguang Wang ◽  
Jie Chen ◽  
Wei Zhong

Passive vortex generators (VGs) have been widely applied on wind turbines to boost the aerodynamic performance. Although VGs can delay the onset of static stall, the effect of VGs on dynamic stall is still incompletely understood. Therefore, this paper aims at investigating the deep dynamic stall of NREL S809 airfoil controlled by single-row and double-row VGs. The URANS method with VGs fully resolved is used to simulate the unsteady airfoil flow. Firstly, both single-row and double-row VGs effectively suppress the flow separation and reduce the fluctuations in aerodynamic forces when the airfoil pitches up. The maximum lift coefficient is therefore increased beyond 40%, and the onset of deep dynamic stall is also delayed. This suggests that deep dynamic-stall behaviors can be properly controlled by VGs. Secondly, there is a great difference in aerodynamic performance between single-row and double-row VGs when the airfoil pitches down. Single-row VGs severely reduce the aerodynamic pitch damping by 64%, thereby undermining the torsional aeroelastic stability of airfoil. Double-row VGs quickly restore the decreased aerodynamic efficiency near the maximum angle of attack, and also significantly accelerate the flow reattachment. The second-row VGs can help the near-wall flow to withstand the adverse pressure gradient and then suppress the trailing-edge flow separation, particularly during the downstroke process. Generally, double-row VGs are better than single-row VGs concerning controlling deep dynamic stall. This work also gives a performance assessment of VGs in controlling the highly unsteady aerodynamic forces of a wind turbine airfoil.


2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Weiland ◽  
P. P. Vlachos

Supercavitation inception and formation was studied over blunt projectiles. The projectiles were fired using a gas gun method. In this method, projectiles are launched under the action of expanding detonation gases. Both qualitative and quantitative optical flow diagnostics using high speed digital imaging were used to analyze the spatio-temporal development of the supercavitating flow. For the first time, quantification of the supercavitation was achieved using Time Resolved Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (TRDPIV) detailing the two phase flow field surrounding the translating projectiles and the gas vapor bubble. Experimental results indicate that the supercavity forms at the aft end of the projectile and travels forward along the direction of projectile travel. The impulsive start of the projectile generates two asymmetric vortices which are shed from the blunt nose of the projectile. The vortices interact with the moving cavity and subsequently deform. This interaction is believed to directly contribute to the instabilities in the flight path.


Complexity ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
He-xuan Hu ◽  
Wan-xin Lei ◽  
Ye Zhang

With the world development of high-speed railways and increasing speeds, aerodynamic forces and moments acting on trains have been increased further, making trains stay at a “floated” state. Under a strong crosswind, the aerodynamic performance of a train on the embankment is greatly deteriorated; lift force and horizontal force borne by trains will be increased quickly; trains may suffer derailing or overturning more easily compared with the flat ground; train derailing will take place when the case is serious. All of these phenomena have brought risks to people’s life and properties. Hence, the paper establishes an aerodynamic model about a high-speed train passing an air barrier, computes aerodynamic forces and moments, and analyzes pulsating pressures on the train surface as well as those of unsteady flow fields around the train. Computational results indicate that when the train passed the embankment air barrier, the head wave of air pressure full wave is more than the tail wave; the absolute value of negative wave is more than that of the positive wave, which is more obvious in the head train. When the train is passing the air barrier, pressure pulsation values at head train points are more than those at other points, while pressure changes most violently at the train bottom, and pressure values close to the air barrier are more than those points far from the air barrier. Pressure values at the cross section 1 were larger than those of other points. Pressure values at measurement points of the tail train ranked the second place, with the maximum negative pressure of 1253 Pa. Pressure change amplitudes and maximum negative pressure on the train surface are increased quickly, while pressure peak values on the high-speed train surface are in direct ratio to the running speed. With the increased speed of the high-speed train, when it is running in the embankment air barrier, the aerodynamic force and moment borne by each train body are increased sharply, while the head train suffers the most obvious influences of aerodynamic effects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria de las Heras-Martínez ◽  
Véronique Calleja ◽  
Remy Bailly ◽  
Jean Dessolin ◽  
Banafshé Larijani ◽  
...  

Abstract 3′-Phosphoinositide-dependent-Kinase-1 (PDK1) is a master regulator whereby its PI3-kinase-dependent dysregulation in human pathologies is well documented. Understanding the direct role for PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and other anionic phospholipids in the regulation of PDK1 conformational dynamics and its downstream activation remains incomplete. Using advanced quantitative-time-resolved imaging (Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy) and molecular modelling, we show an interplay of antagonistic binding effects of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and other anionic phospholipids, regulating activated PDK1 homodimers. We demonstrate that phosphatidylserine maintains PDK1 in an inactive conformation. The dysregulation of the PI3K pathway affects the spatio-temporal and conformational dynamics of PDK1 and the activation of its downstream substrates. We have established a new anionic-phospholipid-dependent model for PDK1 regulation, depicting the conformational dynamics of multiple homodimer states. We show that the dysregulation of the PI3K pathway perturbs equilibrium between the PDK1 homodimer conformations. Our findings provide a role for the PtdSer binding site and its previously unrewarding role in PDK1 downregulation, suggesting a possible therapeutic strategy where the constitutively active dimer conformer of PDK1 may be rendered inactive by small molecules that drive it to its PtdSer-bound conformer.


1995 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 281-286
Author(s):  
J. H. Wolter ◽  
C. M. van Es ◽  
J. E. M. Haverkort ◽  
E. A. E. Zwaal

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia J. Thompson ◽  
Iva K. Pillai ◽  
Ivan B. Dimov ◽  
Christine E. Holt ◽  
Kristian Franze

AbstractTissue mechanics is important for development; however, the spatio-temporal dynamics of in vivo tissue stiffness is still poorly understood. We here developed tiv-AFM, combining time-lapse in vivo atomic force microscopy with upright fluorescence imaging of embryonic tissue, to show that in the developing Xenopus brain, a stiffness gradient evolves over time because of differential cell proliferation. Subsequently, axons turn to follow this gradient, underpinning the importance of time-resolved mechanics measurements.


AVIA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Parlindungan ◽  
S Tobing

This study is inspired by the flapping motion of natural flyers: insects. Many insects have two pairs of wings referred as tandem wings. Literature review indicates that the effects of tandem wing are influenced by parameters such as stagger (the stream-wise distance between the aerodynamic center of the front and the rear airfoil), angle-of-attack and flow velocity. As a first stage, this study focuses on the effects of stagger (St) on the aerodynamic performance of tandem wings. A recent numerical study of stagger on tandem airfoils in turbulent flow (Re = 6000000) concluded that a larger stagger resulted in a decrease in lift force, and an increase in drag force. However, for laminar flow (Re = 2000), increasing the stagger was not found to be detrimental for aerodynamic performance. Another work also revealed that the maximum lift coefficient for a tandem configuration decreased with increasing stagger. The focus of this study is to perform an experimental analysis of tandem two-dimensional (2D) NACA 0012 airfoils. The two airfoils are set at the same angle-of-attack of 0° to 15° with 5° interval and three variations of stagger: 1c, 1.5c and 2c. The experiments are conducted using an open-loop-subsonic wind tunnel at a Reynolds number of 170000. The effects of St on the aerodynamic forces (lift and drag) are analyzed


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