Aerodynamic performance effects due to small leading-edge ice (roughness) on wings and tails

1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 807-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter O. Valarezo ◽  
Frank T. Lynch ◽  
Robert J. McGhee
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 175682932097798
Author(s):  
Han Bao ◽  
Wenqing Yang ◽  
Dongfu Ma ◽  
Wenping Song ◽  
Bifeng Song

Bionic micro aerial vehicles have become popular because of their high thrust efficiency and deceptive appearances. Leading edge or trailing edge devices (such as slots or flaps) are often used to improve the flight performance. Birds in nature also have leading-edge devices, known as the alula that can improve their flight performance at large angles of attack. In the present study, the aerodynamic performance of a flapping airfoil with alula is numerically simulated to illustrate the effects of different alula geometric parameters. Different alula relative angles of attack β (the angle between the chord line of the alula and that of the main airfoil) and vertical distances h between the alula and the main airfoil are simulated at pre-stall and post-stall conditions. Results show that at pre-stall condition, the lift increases with the relative angle of attack and the vertical distance, but the aerodynamic performance is degraded in the presence of alula compared with no alula, whereas at post-stall condition, the alula greatly enhances the lift. However, there seems to be an optimal relative angle of attack for the maximum lift enhancement at a fixed vertical distance considering the unsteady effect, which may indicate birds can adjust the alula twisting at different spanwise positions to achieve the best flight performance. Different alula geometric parameters may affect the aerodynamic force by modifying the pressure distribution along the airfoil. The results are instructive for design of flapping-wing bionic unmanned air vehicles.


2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Wang ◽  
Ruifeng Hu ◽  
Xiaojing Zheng

Leading edge erosion is a considerable threat to wind turbine performance and blade maintenance, and it is very imperative to accurately predict the influence of various degrees of erosion on wind turbine performance. In the present study, an attempt to investigate the effects of leading edge erosion on the aerodynamics of wind turbine airfoil is undertaken by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. A new pitting erosion model is proposed and semicircle cavities were used to represent the erosion pits in the simulation. Two-dimensional incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equation and shear stress transport (SST) k–ω turbulence model are adopted to compute the aerodynamics of a S809 airfoil with leading edge pitting erosions, where the influences of pits depth, densities, distribution area, and locations are considered. The results indicate that pitting erosion has remarkably undesirable influences on the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil, and the critical pits depth, density, and distribution area degrade the airfoil aerodynamic performance mostly were obtained. In addition, the dominant parameters are determined by the correlation coefficient path analysis method, results showed that all parameters have non-negligible effects on the aerodynamics of S809 airfoil, and the Reynolds number is of the most important, followed by pits density, pits depth, and pits distribution area. Meanwhile, the direct and indirect effects of these factors are analyzed, and it is found that the indirect effects are very small and the parameters can be considered to be independent with each other.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 11-17
Author(s):  
Md. Abdus Salam ◽  
Vikram Deshpande ◽  
Nafiz Ahmed Khan ◽  
M. A. Taher Ali

The moving surface boundary control (MSBC) has been a Centre stage study for last 2-3 decades. The preliminary aim of the study was to ascertain whether the concept can improve the airfoil characteristics. Number of experimental and numerical studies pointed out that the MSBC can superiorly enhance the airfoil performance albeit for higher velocity ratios (i.e. cylinder tangential velocity to free stream velocity). Although abundant research has been undertaken in this area on different airfoil performances but no attempt was seen to study effect of MSBC on NACA0021 airfoil for and also effects of lower velocity ratios. Thus, present paper focusses on numerical study of modified NACA 0021 airfoil with leading edge rotating cylinder for velocity ratios (i.e.) between 1 to 1.78 at different angles of attack. The numerical study indicates that the modified airfoil possess better aerodynamic performance than the base airfoil even at lower velocity ratios (i.e. for velocity ratios 0.356 and beyond). The study also focusses on reason for improvement in aerodynamic performance by close look at various parameters.


2009 ◽  
Vol 277 (1684) ◽  
pp. 1121-1127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Palmer ◽  
Gareth J. Dyke

Pterosaurs, flying reptiles from the Mesozoic, had wing membranes that were supported by their arm bones and a super-elongate fourth finger. Associated with the wing, pterosaurs also possessed a unique wrist bone—the pteroid—that functioned to support the forward part of the membrane in front of the leading edge, the propatagium. Pteroid shape varies across pterosaurs and reconstructions of its orientation vary (projecting anteriorly to the wing leading edge or medially, lying alongside it) and imply differences in the way that pterosaurs controlled their wings. Here we show, using biomechanical analysis and considerations of aerodynamic efficiency of a representative ornithocheirid pterosaur, that an anteriorly orientated pteroid is highly unlikely. Unless these pterosaurs only flew steadily and had very low body masses, their pteroids would have been likely to break if orientated anteriorly; the degree of movement required for a forward orientation would have introduced extreme membrane strains and required impractical tensioning in the propatagium membrane. This result can be generalized for other pterodactyloid pterosaurs because the resultant geometry of an anteriorly orientated pteroid would have reduced the aerodynamic performance of all wings and required the same impractical properties in the propatagium membrane. We demonstrate quantitatively that the more traditional reconstruction of a medially orientated pteroid was much more stable both structurally and aerodynamically, reflecting likely life position.


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