| Using a combination of force transducer measurement to quantify net lift force, a high frame rate camera to quantify and subtract inertial contributions, and Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) to calculate aerodynamic contributions in the spanwise plane, the contribution of spanwise flow to the generation of lift force in wings undergoing a pure flapping motion in hover is shown as a function of flapping angle throughout the flapping cycle.; When flapping a flat plate wing and a wing of identical wing area and aspect ratio, but cambered in span (both wings in hover with no change in pitch), the spanwise cambered wing was found to generate a greater mean lift force through the whole flap cycle under the same acceleration. However, depending on the angle in flapping arc, the spanwise cambered wing can generate less lift than the flat wing.; Additionally, since the lift force generated by the wingtip vortex in the spanwise plane resulting from the flapping motion has yet to be directly quantified, the wingtip vortex is investigated to determine precisely how it augments the lift force through the various phases in the flapping motion. Vortices in the vicinity of the wingtip generate lift force in the spanwise plane of flapping wings. In classical fixed wing aerodynamics, the presence of wing tip vortices has been shown to increase the lift locally near the tip. Also, the impingement of large vortices on the upper surface of delta wings is considered to contribute largely to the lift force at higher angles of attack. This study determined that vortices in the spanwise plane (streamwise vorticity) generate lift in a similar manner in flapping wings. Using a mechanical ornithopter with wings fabricated in-house, vortices were identified at several different locations along the span of the wing, and at numerous different points throughout the flapping cycle under a variety of operating conditions. The lift generated by these spanwise planar oriented vortices was quantified experimentally using DPIV and shown to be significant. Thus, flow in the spanwise plane was found for the first time to contribute to the lift generated in pure flapping wings in both normal force due to pressure difference and vortex impingement. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
