Underwater gliders are recent innovative types of autonomous underwater vehicles （AUVs） used in ocean exploration and observation. They adjust their buoyancy to dive and to return to the ocean surface. During the ch...Underwater gliders are recent innovative types of autonomous underwater vehicles （AUVs） used in ocean exploration and observation. They adjust their buoyancy to dive and to return to the ocean surface. During the change of altitude, they use the hydrodynamic forces developed by their wings to move forward. Their flights are controlled by changing the position of their centers of gravity and their buoyancy to adjust their trim and heel angles. For better flight control, the understanding of the hydrodynamic behavior and the flight mechanics of the underwater glider is necessary. A 6-DOF motion simulator is coupled with an unsteady potential flow model for this purpose. In some specific cases, the numerical study demonstrates that an inappropriate stabilizer dimension can cause counter-steering behavior. The simulator can be used to improve the automatic flight control. It can also be used for the hydrodynamic design optimization of the devices.展开更多
In this note, we design a velocity-altitude map for hypersonic level flight in near space of altitude 20-100 km. This map displays aerodynamic-related parameters associated with near space level flight, schematically ...In this note, we design a velocity-altitude map for hypersonic level flight in near space of altitude 20-100 km. This map displays aerodynamic-related parameters associated with near space level flight, schematically or quantitatively. Various physical conditions for the near-space level flight are then characterized, including laminar or turbulent flow, rarefaction or continuous flow, aerodynamic heating, as well as conditions for sustaining level flight with and without orbital effect. This map allows one to identify conditions to have soft flight or hard flight, and this identification would be helpful for making correct planning on detailed studies of aerodynamics or making initial design of near space vehicles.展开更多
Plasma flow control（PFC） is a promising active flow control method with its unique advantages including the absence of moving components, fast response, easy implementation, and stable operation. The effectiveness o...Plasma flow control（PFC） is a promising active flow control method with its unique advantages including the absence of moving components, fast response, easy implementation, and stable operation. The effectiveness of plasma flow control by microsecond dielectric barrier discharge（μs-DBD）, and by nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge（NS-DBD） are compared through the wind tunnel tests, showing a similar performance between μs-DBD and NS-DBD. Furthermore, theμs-DBD is implemented on an unmanned aerial vehicle（UAV）, which is a scaled model of a newly developed amphibious plane. The wingspan of the model is 2.87 m, and the airspeed is no less than 30 m/s. The flight data, static pressure data,and Tufts images are recorded and analyzed in detail. Results of the flight test show that the μs-DBD works well on board without affecting the normal operation of the UAV model. When the actuators are turned on, the stall angle and maximum lift coefficient can be improved by 1.3° and 10.4%, and the static pressure at the leading edge of the wing can be reduced effectively in a proper range of angle of attack, which shows the ability of μs-DBD to act as plasma slats. The rolling moment produced by left-side μs-DBD actuation is greater than that produced by the maximum deflection of ailerons,which indicates the potential of μs-DBD to act as plasma ailerons. The results verify the feasibility and efficacy of μs-DBD plasma flow control in a real flight and lay the foundation for the full-sized airplane application.展开更多
Aerodynamic forces and power requirements in forward flight in a bumblebee （Bombus terrestris） were studied using the method of computational fluid dynamics. Actual wing kinematic data of free flight were used in th...Aerodynamic forces and power requirements in forward flight in a bumblebee （Bombus terrestris） were studied using the method of computational fluid dynamics. Actual wing kinematic data of free flight were used in the study （the speed ranges from 0 m/s to 4.5 m/s; advance ratio ranges from 0-0.66）. The bumblebee employs the delayed stall mechanism and the fast pitching-up rotation mechanism to produce vertical force and thrust. The leading-edge vortex does not shed in the translatory phase of the half-strokes and is much more concentrated than that of the fruit fly in a previous study. At hovering and low-speed flight, the vertical force is produced by both the half-strokes and is contributed by wing lift; at medium and high speeds, the vertical force is mainly produced during the downstroke and is contributed by both wing lift and wing drag. At all speeds the thrust is mainly produced in the upstroke and is contributed by wing drag. The power requirement at low to medium speeds is not very different from that of hovering and is relatively large at the highest speed （advance ratio 0.66）, i.e. the power curve is Jshaped. Except at the highest flight speed, storing energy elastically can save power up to 20%-30%. At the highest speed, because of the large increase of aerodynamic torque and the slight decrease of inertial torque （due to the smaller stroke amplitude and stroke frequency used）, the power requirement is dominated by aerodynamic power and the effect of elastic storage of energy on power requirement is limited.展开更多
文摘Underwater gliders are recent innovative types of autonomous underwater vehicles （AUVs） used in ocean exploration and observation. They adjust their buoyancy to dive and to return to the ocean surface. During the change of altitude, they use the hydrodynamic forces developed by their wings to move forward. Their flights are controlled by changing the position of their centers of gravity and their buoyancy to adjust their trim and heel angles. For better flight control, the understanding of the hydrodynamic behavior and the flight mechanics of the underwater glider is necessary. A 6-DOF motion simulator is coupled with an unsteady potential flow model for this purpose. In some specific cases, the numerical study demonstrates that an inappropriate stabilizer dimension can cause counter-steering behavior. The simulator can be used to improve the automatic flight control. It can also be used for the hydrodynamic design optimization of the devices.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (90716009)
文摘In this note, we design a velocity-altitude map for hypersonic level flight in near space of altitude 20-100 km. This map displays aerodynamic-related parameters associated with near space level flight, schematically or quantitatively. Various physical conditions for the near-space level flight are then characterized, including laminar or turbulent flow, rarefaction or continuous flow, aerodynamic heating, as well as conditions for sustaining level flight with and without orbital effect. This map allows one to identify conditions to have soft flight or hard flight, and this identification would be helpful for making correct planning on detailed studies of aerodynamics or making initial design of near space vehicles.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.51336011 and 51607188)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2014M562446)the PhD Research Startup Foundation of Xi’an University of Technology(Grant No.256081802)
文摘Plasma flow control（PFC） is a promising active flow control method with its unique advantages including the absence of moving components, fast response, easy implementation, and stable operation. The effectiveness of plasma flow control by microsecond dielectric barrier discharge（μs-DBD）, and by nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge（NS-DBD） are compared through the wind tunnel tests, showing a similar performance between μs-DBD and NS-DBD. Furthermore, theμs-DBD is implemented on an unmanned aerial vehicle（UAV）, which is a scaled model of a newly developed amphibious plane. The wingspan of the model is 2.87 m, and the airspeed is no less than 30 m/s. The flight data, static pressure data,and Tufts images are recorded and analyzed in detail. Results of the flight test show that the μs-DBD works well on board without affecting the normal operation of the UAV model. When the actuators are turned on, the stall angle and maximum lift coefficient can be improved by 1.3° and 10.4%, and the static pressure at the leading edge of the wing can be reduced effectively in a proper range of angle of attack, which shows the ability of μs-DBD to act as plasma slats. The rolling moment produced by left-side μs-DBD actuation is greater than that produced by the maximum deflection of ailerons,which indicates the potential of μs-DBD to act as plasma ailerons. The results verify the feasibility and efficacy of μs-DBD plasma flow control in a real flight and lay the foundation for the full-sized airplane application.
基金The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(10232010)the National Aeronautic Science fund of China(03A51049)
文摘Aerodynamic forces and power requirements in forward flight in a bumblebee （Bombus terrestris） were studied using the method of computational fluid dynamics. Actual wing kinematic data of free flight were used in the study （the speed ranges from 0 m/s to 4.5 m/s; advance ratio ranges from 0-0.66）. The bumblebee employs the delayed stall mechanism and the fast pitching-up rotation mechanism to produce vertical force and thrust. The leading-edge vortex does not shed in the translatory phase of the half-strokes and is much more concentrated than that of the fruit fly in a previous study. At hovering and low-speed flight, the vertical force is produced by both the half-strokes and is contributed by wing lift; at medium and high speeds, the vertical force is mainly produced during the downstroke and is contributed by both wing lift and wing drag. At all speeds the thrust is mainly produced in the upstroke and is contributed by wing drag. The power requirement at low to medium speeds is not very different from that of hovering and is relatively large at the highest speed （advance ratio 0.66）, i.e. the power curve is Jshaped. Except at the highest flight speed, storing energy elastically can save power up to 20%-30%. At the highest speed, because of the large increase of aerodynamic torque and the slight decrease of inertial torque （due to the smaller stroke amplitude and stroke frequency used）, the power requirement is dominated by aerodynamic power and the effect of elastic storage of energy on power requirement is limited.
