scholarly journals Pitching Equilibrium, Wing Span and Tail Span in a Gliding Harris' Hawk, Parabuteo Unicinctus

1992 ◽  
Vol 165 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
VANCE A. TUCKER

1. The centre of area of the wings of a Harris' hawk gliding freely in a wind tunnel moved forward 0.09 wing chord lengths when the hawk increased its wing span from 0.68 to 1.07 m. The movement of the centre of area probably produces a positive pitching moment that, if unopposed, would cause the bird's head to rise. The tail remained folded until wing span reached 87% of maximum and then began to spread. This behaviour is also typical of gliding birds in nature, which spread their tails when the wings are near maximum span. Tail spreading probably produces a negative pitching moment that compensates for the forward movement of the wings at maximum span. 2. As the tail spread, its centre of area moved backwards. This movement, together with the increase in tail area, can keep the centre of area of the combined wings and tail from moving forward, even at maximum wing span. 3. The tail can generate an estimated 10% of the hawk's total lift at maximum wing span and 5 % or less at shorter wing spans. 4. I moved the centre of area of the hawk's wings forward experimentally by clipping 76 mm from primary feathers 6–10 and 38 mm from primary feather 5. The effect of this operation on the hawk's behaviour indicated that the forward movement of the centre of area of the wings caused a positive pitching moment. The hawk pitched up more in flight. It held its wings at shorter than normal spans, which partially compensated for the effects of clipping by moving the centre of area of the wings backwards. It also spread its tail at shorter than normal spans, which would compensate for an increase in the pitching moment of the wings.

1990 ◽  
Vol 149 (1) ◽  
pp. 469-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
VANCE A. TUCKER ◽  
CARLTON HEINE

1. A Harris' hawk with a mass of 0.702 kg and a maximum wing span of 1.02 m glided freely in a wind tunnel at air speeds between 6.1 and 16.2ms−1. The glide angle varied from 8.5% at the slowest speed to a minimum of 5% at speeds between 8.0 and 14.7 ms−1. The maximum ratio of lift to drag was 10.9 and the minimum sinking speed was 0.81ms−1 2. Wing span decreased when either air speed or glide angle increased. Wing area was a parabolic function of wing span 3. Lift and profile drag coefficients of the wings fell in a polar area similar to that for a laggar falcon (Falco jugger) and a black vulture (Coragyps atratus). A single polar curve relating lift coefficients to minimum profile drag coefficients can predict the maximum gliding performance of all three birds when used with a mathematical model for gliding flight 4. The parasite drag values that have been used with the model are probably too high. Thus, the profile drag coefficients determined from the polar curve mentioned above are too low, and the predicted wing spans for gliding at maximum performance are too large. The predicted curve for maximum gliding performance is relatively unaffected 5. The maximum lift coefficient for the Harris' hawk in the wind tunnel was 1.6. This value is probably less than the maximum attainable, since the hawk's wings never appeared to stall. The best estimate of the minimum profile drag coefficient is 0.026 at a lift coefficient of 0.60.


2021 ◽  
pp. 175815592098715
Author(s):  
José Carrillo-Ortiz ◽  
Santi Guallar ◽  
Jessica Martínez-Vargas ◽  
Javier Quesada

The methods used to preserve bird skins in museums have a potentially crucial impact on the feasibility and use of these specimens as a source of biological knowledge, although this subject is rarely broached. Study skins of birds are usually prepared with folded wings and straight legs to facilitate storage in the collection; yet, this method can hamper the measurement and examination of certain important features such as wing-feather moult. To make consultation easier for ornithologists, alternative preparation methods such as the splitting of wings and tarsi from the rest of the animal have been proposed by curators. Our aim was to study whether or not preparing bird specimens with spread limbs makes consultation simpler. First, we used two different methods to prepare two specimens each of two common European passerine species: (1) ‘traditional’ (folded wings and straight tarsi) and (2) ‘spread’ (limbs spread on one side of the body). Then, we asked 22 experienced ornithologists to identify moult limits and take three biometric measurements (wing chord, length of the third primary feather and tarsus length) from all four specimens. Subsequently, we asked which preparation method they preferred for obtaining data. The ‘spread’ preparation was preferred for moult, third primary feather length and tarsus length, whilst the ‘traditional’ preparation was preferred for wing chord. Data obtained from the folded and spread preparations were very highly repeatable within each method but only moderately to highly repeatable between methods. One of the handicaps with the ‘spread’ preparation is the increase in storage space required, a factor that should be taken into account before it is employed. Nevertheless, this specimen preparation technique can greatly facilitate consultation and therefore improve the scientific value of ornithological collections.


1970 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. CHRISTIAN PARROTT

1. A black vulture (mass = 1.79 kg) gliding freely in a wind tunnel adjusted its wing span and wing area as its air speed and glide angle changed from 9.9 to 16.8 m/s and from 4.8° to 7.9°, respectively. 2. The minimum sinking speed was 1.09 m/s at an air speed of 11.3 m/s. 3. The maximum ratio of lift to drag forces was 11.6 at an air speed of 13.9 m/s. 4. Parasite drag coefficients for the vulture are similar to those for conventional airfoils and do not support the contention that black vultures have unusually low values of parasite drag.


1970 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
VANCE A. TUCKER ◽  
G. CHRISTIAN PARROTT

1. A live laggar falcon (Falco jugger) glided in a wind tunnel at speeds between 6.6 and 15.9 m./sec. The bird had a maximum lift to drag ratio (L/D) of 10 at a speed of 12.5 m./sec. As the falcon increased its air speed at a given glide angle, it reduced its wing span, wing area and lift coefficient. 2. A model aircraft with about the same wingspan as the falcon had a maximum L/D value of 10. 3. Published measurements of the aerodynamic characteristics of gliding birds are summarized by presenting them in a diagram showing air speed, sinking speed and L/D values. Data for a high-performance sailplane are included. The soaring birds had maximum L/D values near 10, or about one quarter that of the sailplane. The birds glided more slowly than the sailplane and had about the same sinking speed. 4. The ‘equivalent parasite area’ method used by aircraft designers to estimate parasite drag was modified for use with gliding birds, and empirical data are presented to provide a means of predicting the gliding performance of a bird in the absence of wind-tunnel tests. 5. The birds in this study had conventional values for parasite drag. Technical errors seem responsible for published claims of unusually low parasite drag values in a vulture. 6. The falcon adjusted its wing span in flight to achieve nearly the maximum possible L/D value over its range of gliding speeds. 7. The maximum terminal speed of the falcon in a vertical dive is estimated to be 100 m./sec.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1596
Author(s):  
Xin Xu ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Dawei Liu ◽  
Keming Cheng ◽  
Dehua Chen

A special V-shaped support for blended wing body aircraft was designed and applied in high-speed wind tunnel tests. In order to reduce the support interference and explore the design criteria of the V-shaped support, interference characteristics and geometric parameter effects of V-shaped support on blended wing body aircraft were numerically studied. According to the numerical results, the corresponding dummy V-shaped supports were designed and manufactured, and verification tests was conducted in a 2.4 m × 2.4 m transonic wind tunnel. The test results were in good agreement with the numerical simulation. Results indicated that pitching moment of blended wing body aircraft is quite sensitive to the V-shaped support geometric parameters, and the influence of the inflection angle is the most serious. To minimize the pitching moment interference, the straight-section diameter and inflection angle should be increased while the straight-section length should be shortened. The results could be used to design special V-shaped support for blended wing body aircraft in wind tunnel tests, reduce support interference, and improve the accuracy of test results.


2015 ◽  
Vol 119 (1218) ◽  
pp. 937-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.W. Pickhaver ◽  
P.M. Render

Abstract A technique is developed that can be used to predict the effects of battle damage on the aerodynamic performance of an aircraft’s wing. The technique is based on results obtained from wind tunnel tests on a NASA LS(1)-0417MOD aerofoil with simulated gunfire damage. The wind tunnel model incorporated an internal cavity to represent typical aircraft construction and this was located between 24% and 75% of chord. The damage was simulated by circular holes with diameters between 20% and 40% of chord. To represent different attack directions, the inclination of the hole axis relative to the aerofoil chord was varied between ±60° pitch and 45° of roll. The aerofoil spanned the wind tunnel to create approximate two-dimensional conditions and balance measurements were carried out at a Reynolds number of 500,000 for incidences, increased in 2° increments, from –4° to 16°. Surface flow visualisation and pressure measurements were also carried out. For a given hole size, the increments in lift, drag and pitching moment coefficients produced trends when plotted against the difference between the upper and lower surface pressure coefficients on the undamaged aerofoil taken at the location of the damage. These trends are used as the basis of the predictive technique. The technique is used to predict the effects of a previously untested damage case, and these are compared with wind tunnel tests carried out on a half model finite aspect ratio wing. For all coefficients the trends in the predicted data are similar to experiment, although there are some discrepancies in absolute values. For the drag coefficient these discrepancies are partly accounted for by limitations in the technique, whilst discrepancies in the lift and pitching moment coefficients are attributed to limitations in the aerofoil test arrangements.


Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 4085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Kuester ◽  
Nanyaporn Intaratep ◽  
Aurélien Borgoltz

Wind tunnel measurements of two-dimensional wing sections, or airfoils, are the building block of aerodynamic predictions for many aerodynamic applications. In these experiments, the forces and pitching moment on the airfoil are measured as a function of the orientation of the airfoil relative to the incoming airflow. Small changes in this angle (called the angle of attack, or α ) can create significant changes in the forces and moments, so accurately measuring the angle of attack is critical in these experiments. This work describes the implementation of laser displacement sensors in a wind tunnel; the sensors measured the distance between the wind tunnel walls and the airfoil, which was then used to calculate the model position. The uncertainty in the measured laser distances, based on the sensor resolution and temperature drift, is comparable to the uncertainty in traditional linear encoder measurements. Distances from multiple sensors showed small, but statistically significant, amounts of model deflection and rotation that would otherwise not have been detected, allowing for an improved angle of attack measurement.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1016 ◽  
pp. 465-470
Author(s):  
F. Rasi Marzabadi ◽  
Ramin Kamali Moghadam

Longitudinal dynamic derivatives of an airfoil oscillating in pitching and plunging motions were calculated using variation of pitching moment coefficients with angle of attack in various conditions, based on wind tunnel data. The effect of reduced frequency on variation of longitudinal oscillatory derivatives was investigated, in three different regions of oscillation: before, over and post stall conditions. The results showed that reduced frequency has significant effects on longitudinal oscillatory coefficients in different conditions for both types of oscillations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1022 ◽  
pp. 113-117
Author(s):  
Xiao An Long

This study aims to investigate the hydro- and aerodynamic characteristics of arrows as understood within the field of archery and to contribute to theoretical knowledge, upon which archery techniques are based. The water tunnel and wind tunnel are used to test different arrows consisting of four famous brands.The results showed that when the angles of attack from -6°to 6°, the arrow remained in the state of attached flow. Arrows that had spiral plastic fletches demonstrated better states of flow than arrows with straight fletches. Within the range of the experimental angles of attack, the coefficients of lift increased, while the coefficients of pitching moment decreased when the angle of attack increased. The arrows showed static stability in the longitudinal direction. Arrow fetches also demonstrated considerable influence on the lift and pitching moment. The rolling of the arrows caused the change of the coefficient of lift. Based on the results, it can be concluded that arrow fetches are the major contributors to the arrows’ flight stability.


1984 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 406-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Hubbard ◽  
H. J. Rust

Optimal release conditions for the javelin are studied using computer simulation. Included are two important and realistic assumptions: (1) initial velocity attainable by the thrower is dependent on the throwing angle, and (2) the aerodynamic center of pressure moves as a function of angle of attack. Aerodynamic forces and moments, previously measured in wind tunnel tests, are incorporated in the simulation. Range contours are presented in the two-space of initial angle of attack–initial flight path angle, assuming zero initial angular velocity.


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