Gliding Flight of the White-Backed Vulture Gyps Africanus

1971 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. PENNYCUICK
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
The Body ◽  
East African ◽  
Induced Drag ◽  
Gliding Flight ◽  
Vertical Speed ◽  
Statistical Sense ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Comparison Measurements

1. Glide-comparison measurements were made on ten species of East African soaring birds using a Schleicher ASK-14 powered sailplane. Horizontal and vertical speed differences between bird and glider were measured by a photographic method, and used to estimate the bird's horizontal and vertical speeds relative to the air. The analysis refers to the white-backed vulture, since by far the largest number of measurements was obtained on this species. 2. A regression analysis using a two-term approximation to the glide polar yielded an implausibly high estimate of induced drag, which was attributed to a lack of observations at lift coefficients above 0.72. An amended glide polar was constructed assuming elliptical lift distribution and a maximum lift coefficient of 1.6 to define the low-speed end, while the high-speed end was made to pass through the mean horizontal and sinking speeds of all the experimental points. This curve gave a minimum sinking speed of 0.76 m/s at a forward speed of 10 m/s, and a best glide ratio of 15.3:1 at 13 m/s. It did not differ significantly (in the statistical sense) from the original regression curve. 3. In comparing the estimated circling performance, based on the amended glide polar, with that of the ASK-14, it was concluded that the rates of sink of both should be comparable, but that the glider would require thermals with radii about 4.3 times as great as those needed to sustain the birds. The conclusions are consistent with experience of soaring in company with birds. 4. In an attempt to assess the adaptive significance of the low-aspect-ratio wings of birds specializing in thermal soaring, the white-backed vulture's circling performance was compared with that of an ‘albatross-shaped vulture’, an imaginary creature having the same mass as a white-backed vulture, combined with the body proportions of a wandering albatross. It appears that the real white-back would be at an advantage when trying to remain airborne in thermals with radii between 14 and 17 m, but that the albatross-shaped vulture would climb faster in all wider thermals; on account of its much better maximum glide ratio, it should also achieve higher cross-country speeds. It is concluded that the wing shape seen in vultures and storks is not an adaptation to thermal soaring as such, but is more probably a compromise dictated by take-off and landing requirements. 5. The doubts recently expressed by Tucker & Parrott (1970) about the results and conclusions of Raspet (1950a, b; 1960) are re-inforced by the present experience.

Gliding Flight of the Andean Condor in Nature

1973 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-237
Author(s):  
JERRY McGAHAN
Keyword(s):  
Drag Coefficient ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Vertical Component ◽  
Induced Drag ◽  
Gliding Flight ◽  
Black Vulture ◽  
Air Speed ◽  
Andean Condor ◽  
Turkey Vultures

1. Derived in a vector analysis with measurements of wind velocity and ground velocity of the bird, the following mean air speeds were obtained for birds crossing a Peruvian beach: 15 m/sec for 15 gliding Andean condors, 14 m/sec for 42 condors that flapped during the crossing, and 10 m/sec for five turkey vultures that flapped. For the 15 gliding condors a mean lift coefficient of 0.7 and a mean induced drag force of 3 N were computed. 2. Implausibly low values derived for parasite drag coefficient of the condor appeared to be due to (a) unmeasured forces of deceleration and (b) an undetected vertical component of the wind at the level of the flight path. Field data, adjusted by introducing a coefficient of parasite drag determined for the black vulture in a windtunnel study provided corrected estimates of drag. I secured an adjusted value of 14 for the L/D ratio of a condor gliding with wings fully extended. 3. A moderate flexion of the wings reducing the span by 20% is estimated to increase the optimum air speed from 13.9 to 15.2 m/sec for an adult male condor and from 12.6 to 13.8 m/sec for an adult female.

Dragonfly flight. I. Gliding flight and steady-state aerodynamic forces.

1997 ◽  
Vol 200 (3) ◽  
pp. 543-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
JM Wakeling ◽  
CP Ellington
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
The Body ◽  
Flat Plates ◽  
Viscous Forces ◽  
Drag Forces ◽  
Aerodynamic Properties ◽  
Gliding Flight ◽  
Lift And Drag

The free gliding flight of the dragonfly Sympetrum sanguineum was filmed in a large flight enclosure. Reconstruction of the glide paths showed the flights to involve accelerations. Where the acceleration could be considered constant, the lift and drag forces acting on the dragonfly were calculated. The maximum lift coefficient (CL) recorded from these glides was 0.93; however, this is not necessarily the maximum possible from the wings. Lift and drag forces were additionally measured from isolated wings and bodies of S. sanguineum and the damselfly Calopteryx splendens in a steady air flow at Reynolds numbers of 700-2400 for the wings and 2500-15 000 for the bodies. The maximum lift coefficients (CL,max) were 1.07 for S. sanguineum and 1.15 for C. splendens, which are greater than those recorded for all other insects except the locust. The drag coefficient at zero angle of attack ranged between 0.07 and 0.14, being little more than the Blassius value predicted for flat plates. Dragonfly wings thus show exceptional steady-state aerodynamic properties in comparison with the wings of other insects. A resolved-flow model was tested on the body drag data. The parasite drag is significantly affected by viscous forces normal to the longitudinal body axis. The linear dependence of drag on velocity must thus be included in models to predict the parasite drag on dragonflies at non-zero body angles.

Gliding flight: drag and torque of a hawk and a falcon with straight and turned heads, and a lower value for the parasite drag coefficient

2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (24) ◽  
pp. 3733-3744 ◽  
Author(s):  
V.A. Tucker
Keyword(s):  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Drag Coefficient ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
The Body ◽  
Head Turning ◽  
Drag Coefficients ◽  
Spiral Path ◽  
Gliding Flight

Raptors - falcons, hawks and eagles in this study - such as peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) that attack distant prey from high-speed dives face a paradox. Anatomical and behavioral measurements show that raptors of many species must turn their heads approximately 40 degrees to one side to see the prey straight ahead with maximum visual acuity, yet turning the head would presumably slow their diving speed by increasing aerodynamic drag. This paper investigates the aerodynamic drag part of this paradox by measuring the drag and torque on wingless model bodies of a peregrine falcon and a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) with straight and turned heads in a wind tunnel at a speed of 11.7 m s(−)(1). With a turned head, drag increased more than 50 %, and torque developed that tended to yaw the model towards the direction in which the head pointed. Mathematical models for the drag required to prevent yawing showed that the total drag could plausibly more than double with head-turning. Thus, the presumption about increased drag in the paradox is correct. The relationships between drag, head angle and torque developed here are prerequisites to the explanation of how a raptor could avoid the paradox by holding its head straight and flying along a spiral path that keeps its line of sight for maximum acuity pointed sideways at the prey. Although the spiral path to the prey is longer than the straight path, the raptor's higher speed can theoretically compensate for the difference in distances; and wild peregrines do indeed approach prey by flying along curved paths that resemble spirals. In addition to providing data that explain the paradox, this paper reports the lowest drag coefficients yet measured for raptor bodies (0.11 for the peregrine and 0.12 for the red-tailed hawk) when the body models with straight heads were set to pitch and yaw angles for minimum drag. These values are markedly lower than value of the parasite drag coefficient (C(D,par)) of 0.18 previously used for calculating the gliding performance of a peregrine. The accuracy with which drag coefficients measured on wingless bird bodies in a wind tunnel represent the C(D,par) of a living bird is unknown. Another method for determining C(D,par) selects values that improve the fit between speeds predicted by mathematical models and those observed in living birds. This method yields lower values for C(D,par) (0.05-0.07) than wind tunnel measurements, and the present study suggests a value of 0.1 for raptors as a compromise.

scholarly journals Wake structure and kinematics in two insectivorous bats

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1704) ◽  
pp. 20150385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatjana Y. Hubel ◽  
Nickolay I. Hristov ◽  
Sharon M. Swartz ◽  
Kenneth S. Breuer
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Characteristic Root ◽  
The Body ◽  
Wing Loading ◽  
Sweep Angle ◽  
Tadarida Brasiliensis ◽  
Wake Structure ◽  
Weight Support

We compare kinematics and wake structure over a range of flight speeds (4.0–8.2 m s −1 ) for two bats that pursue insect prey aerially, Tadarida brasiliensis and Myotis velifer . Body mass and wingspan are similar in these species, but M. velifer has broader wings and lower wing loading. By using high-speed videography and particle image velocimetry of steady flight in a wind tunnel, we show that three-dimensional kinematics and wake structure are similar in the two species at the higher speeds studied, but differ at lower speeds. At lower speeds, the two species show significant differences in mean angle of attack, body–wingtip distance and sweep angle. The distinct body vortex seen at low speed in T. brasiliensis and other bats studied to date is considerably weaker or absent in M. velifer . We suggest that this could be influenced by morphology: (i) the narrower thorax in this species probably reduces the body-induced discontinuity in circulation between the two wings and (ii) the wing loading is lower, hence the lift coefficient required for weight support is lower. As a result, in M. velifer, there may be a decreased disruption in the lift generation between the body and the wing, and the strength of the characteristic root vortex is greatly diminished, both suggesting increased flight efficiency. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Moving in a moving medium: new perspectives on flight’.

Some Special Aspects of Hypersonic Flow Fields

1959 ◽  
Vol 63 (585) ◽  
pp. 508-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. W. Mangler
Keyword(s):  
Hypersonic Flow ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Flow Fields ◽  
The Body ◽  
Lower Velocity ◽  
Bow Wave ◽  
Total Head ◽  
Bow Shocks ◽  
Lower Entropy ◽  
Subsonic Region

When a body moves through air at very high speed at such a height that the air can be considered as a continuum, the distinction between sharp and blunt noses with their attached or detached bow shocks loses its significance, since, in practical cases, the bow wave is always detached and fairly strong. In practice, all bodies behave as blunt shapes with a smaller or larger subsonic region near the nose where the entropy and the corresponding loss of total head change from streamline to streamline due to the curvature of the bow shock. These entropy gradients determine the behaviour of the hypersonic flow fields to a large extent. Even in regions where viscosity effects are small they give rise to gradients of the velocity and shear layers with a lower velocity and a higher entropy near the surface than would occur in their absence. Thus one can expect to gain some relief in the heating problems arising on the surface of the body. On the other hand, one would lose farther downstream on long slender shapes as more and more air of lower entropy is entrained into the boundary layer so that the heat transfer to the surface goes up again. Both these flow regions will be discussed here for the simple case of a body of axial symmetry at zero incidence. Finally, some remarks on the flow field past a lifting body will be made. Recently, a great deal of information on these subjects has appeared in a number of reviewing papers so that little can be added. The numerical results on the subsonic flow regions in Section 2 have not been published before.

scholarly journals Wearable Vibration Sensor for Measuring the Wing Flapping of Insects

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 593
Author(s):  
Ryota Yanagisawa ◽  
Shunsuke Shigaki ◽  
Kotaro Yasui ◽  
Dai Owaki ◽  
Yasuhiro Sugimoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Indirect Measurement ◽  
Feedback Mechanism ◽  
The Body ◽  
Vibration Sensor ◽  
Wingbeat Frequency ◽  
Film Sensor ◽  
Insect Wing

In this study, we fabricated a novel wearable vibration sensor for insects and measured their wing flapping. An analysis of insect wing deformation in relation to changes in the environment plays an important role in understanding the underlying mechanism enabling insects to dynamically interact with their surrounding environment. It is common to use a high-speed camera to measure the wing flapping; however, it is difficult to analyze the feedback mechanism caused by the environmental changes caused by the flapping because this method applies an indirect measurement. Therefore, we propose the fabrication of a novel film sensor that is capable of measuring the changes in the wingbeat frequency of an insect. This novel sensor is composed of flat silver particles admixed with a silicone polymer, which changes the value of the resistor when a bending deformation occurs. As a result of attaching this sensor to the wings of a moth and a dragonfly and measuring the flapping of the wings, we were able to measure the frequency of the flapping with high accuracy. In addition, as a result of simultaneously measuring the relationship between the behavior of a moth during its search for an odor source and its wing flapping, it became clear that the frequency of the flapping changed depending on the frequency of the odor reception. From this result, a wearable film sensor for an insect that can measure the displacement of the body during a particular behavior was fabricated.

Influence of Attached Masses on Impact Forces and Running Style in Heel-Toe Running

1987 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 264-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Bahlsen ◽  
Benno M. Nigg
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Impact Force ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
The Body ◽  
Additional Mass ◽  
Impact Forces ◽  
Running Shoes ◽  
High Speed Film ◽  
Vertical Impact

Impact forces analysis in heel-toe running is often used to examine the reduction of impact forces for different running shoes and/or running techniques. Body mass is reported to be a dominant predictor of vertical impact force peaks. However, it is not evident whether this finding is only true for the real body mass or whether it is also true for additional masses attached to the body (e.g., running with additional weight or heavy shoes). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of additional mass on vertical impact force peaks and running style. Nineteen subjects (9 males, 10 females) with a mean mass of 74.2 kg/56.2 kg (SD = 10.0 kg and 6.0 kg) volunteered to participate in this study. Additional masses were attached to the shoe (.05 and .1 kg), the tibia (.2, .4, .6 kg), and the hip (5.9 and 10.7 kg). Force plate measurements and high-speed film data were analyzed. In this study the vertical impact force peaks, Fzi, were not affected by additional masses, the vertical active force peaks, Fza, were only affected by additional masses greater than 6 kg, and the movement was only different in the knee angle at touchdown, ϵ0, for additional masses greater than .6 kg. The results of this study did not support findings reported earlier in the literature that body mass is a dominant predictor of external vertical impact force peaks.

scholarly journals Optimal nonlinear eddy viscosity in Galerkin models of turbulent flows

2015 ◽  
Vol 766 ◽  
pp. 337-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartosz Protas ◽  
Bernd R. Noack ◽  
Jan Östh
Keyword(s):  
Turbulent Flows ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Eddy Viscosity ◽  
Broad Class ◽  
Constitutive Relations ◽  
Body Height ◽  
Mixing Layer ◽  
The Body ◽  
Stream Velocity ◽  
Initial Vorticity

AbstractWe propose a variational approach to the identification of an optimal nonlinear eddy viscosity as a subscale turbulence representation for proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) models. The ansatz for the eddy viscosity is given in terms of an arbitrary function of the resolved fluctuation energy. This function is found as a minimizer of a cost functional measuring the difference between the target data coming from a resolved direct or large-eddy simulation of the flow and its reconstruction based on the POD model. The optimization is performed with a data-assimilation approach generalizing the 4D-VAR method. POD models with optimal eddy viscosities are presented for a 2D incompressible mixing layer at $\mathit{Re}=500$ (based on the initial vorticity thickness and the velocity of the high-speed stream) and a 3D Ahmed body wake at $\mathit{Re}=300\,000$ (based on the body height and the free-stream velocity). The variational optimization formulation elucidates a number of interesting physical insights concerning the eddy-viscosity ansatz used. The 20-dimensional model of the mixing-layer reveals a negative eddy-viscosity regime at low fluctuation levels which improves the transient times towards the attractor. The 100-dimensional wake model yields more accurate energy distributions as compared to the nonlinear modal eddy-viscosity benchmark proposed recently by Östh et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 747, 2014, pp. 518–544). Our methodology can be applied to construct quite arbitrary closure relations and, more generally, constitutive relations optimizing statistical properties of a broad class of reduced-order models.

A Benchmark Control Problem for Supercavitating Vehicles and an Initial Investigation of Solutions

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 791-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Dzielski ◽  
Andrew Kurdila
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
The Body ◽  
Control Surface ◽  
Force Model ◽  
Entire Body ◽  
Benchmark Problem ◽  
Supercavitating Vehicles ◽  
Forcing Function ◽  
Natural Cavitation

At very high speeds, underwater bodies develop cavitation bubbles at the trailing edges of sharp corners or from contours where adverse pressure gradients are sufficient to induce flow separation. Coupled with a properly designed cavitator at the nose of a vehicle, this natural cavitation can be augmented with gas to induce a cavity to cover nearly the entire body of the vehicle. The formation of the cavity results in a significant reduction in drag on the vehicle and these so-called high-speed supercavitating vehicles (HSSVs) naturally operate at speeds in excess of 75 m s-1. The first part of this paper presents a derivation of a benchmark problem for control of HSSVs. The benchmark problem focuses exclusively on the pitch-plane dynamics of the body which currently appear to present the most severe challenges. A vehicle model is parametrized in terms of generic parameters of body radius, body length, and body density relative to the surrounding fluid. The forebody shape is assumed to be a right cylindrical cone and the aft two-thirds is assumed to be cylindrical. This effectively parametrizes the inertia characteristics of the body. Assuming the cavitator is a flat plate, control surface lift curves are specified relative to the cavitator effectiveness. A force model for a planing afterbody is also presented. The resulting model is generally unstable whenever in contact with the cavity and stable otherwise, provided the fin effectiveness is large enough. If it is assumed that a cavity separation sensor is not available or that the entire weight of the body is not to be carried on control surfaces, limit cycle oscillations generally result. The weight of the body inevitably forces the vehicle into contact with the cavity and the unstable mode; the body effectively skips on the cavity wall. The general motion can be characterized by switching between two nominally linear models and an external constant forcing function. Because of the extremely short duration of the cavity contact, direct suppression of the oscillations and stable planing appear to present severe challenges to the actuator designer. These challenges are investigated in the second half of the paper, along with several approaches to the design of active control systems.

scholarly journals A faster escape does not enhance survival in zebrafish larvae

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1852) ◽  
pp. 20170359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjun Nair ◽  
Christy Nguyen ◽  
Matthew J. McHenry
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Larval Fish ◽  
Body Position ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
The Body ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Fish Prey ◽  
Zebrafish Larvae ◽  
Fish Predators

An escape response is a rapid manoeuvre used by prey to evade predators. Performing this manoeuvre at greater speed, in a favourable direction, or from a longer distance have been hypothesized to enhance the survival of prey, but these ideas are difficult to test experimentally. We examined how prey survival depends on escape kinematics through a novel combination of experimentation and mathematical modelling. This approach focused on zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) larvae under predation by adults and juveniles of the same species. High-speed three-dimensional kinematics were used to track the body position of prey and predator and to determine the probability of behavioural actions by both fish. These measurements provided the basis for an agent-based probabilistic model that simulated the trajectories of the animals. Predictions of survivorship by this model were found by Monte Carlo simulations to agree with our observations and we examined how these predictions varied by changing individual model parameters. Contrary to expectation, we found that survival may not be improved by increasing the speed or altering the direction of the escape. Rather, zebrafish larvae operate with sufficiently high locomotor performance due to the relatively slow approach and limited range of suction feeding by fish predators. We did find that survival was enhanced when prey responded from a greater distance. This is an ability that depends on the capacity of the visual and lateral line systems to detect a looming threat. Therefore, performance in sensing, and not locomotion, is decisive for improving the survival of larval fish prey. These results offer a framework for understanding the evolution of predator–prey strategy that may inform prey survival in a broad diversity of animals.

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