While the leading-edge serration in owls' wing is known to be responsible for low noise gliding and flapping flights, the findings on its aero-acoustic role have been diverse or even controversial. Here we present an...While the leading-edge serration in owls' wing is known to be responsible for low noise gliding and flapping flights, the findings on its aero-acoustic role have been diverse or even controversial. Here we present an experimental study of the morphological effects of leading-edge serrations on aerodynamic force production by utilizing owl-inspired, single-feather, clean and serrated wing models with different serration lengths and spacing, and by combining Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and force measurements. Force measurements show that an increase in the length and density of the leading-edge serrations leads to a reduction in the lift coefficient and lift-to-drag ratio at Angles of Attack (AoAs) 〈 15° whereas the clean and serrated wings achieve comparable aerodynamic performance at higher AoAs 〉 15°, which owl wings often reach in flight. Furthermore PIV visualization of the flow fluctuations demonstrates that the leading-edge serration-based mechanism is consistent in all serrated wing models in terms of passive control of the laminar-turbulent transition while at AoAs 〉 15° similar suction flow is present at leading edge resulting in a comparable aerodynamic performance to that of the clean wing. Our results indicate the robustness and usefulness of leading-edge serration-inspired devices for aero-acoustic control in biomimetic rotor designs.展开更多
Flight stabilization in insects is normally achieved through a closed-loop system integrating the intemal dynamics and feedback control. Recent studies have reported that flight instability may exist in most flying in...Flight stabilization in insects is normally achieved through a closed-loop system integrating the intemal dynamics and feedback control. Recent studies have reported that flight instability may exist in most flying insects but how insects achieve the flight stabilization still remains poorly understood. Here we propose a control model specified for bumblebee hovering stabilization by applying a three-axis PD (proportional-derivative)-controller to a free-flying bumblebee computational model with six Degrees of Freedom (DoFs). Morphological and kinematic models of a realistic bumblebee in hovering are built up based on measurements whereas a versatile bio-inspired dynamic flight simulator is employed in simulations. A simplified flight dynamic model is further developed as a fast model for control parameter tuning. Our results demonstrate that the stabilizing control model is capable of achieving the hovering stabilization with small perturbations in terms of 6-DoF, implying that the simplified linear algorithms can still work reasonably for bumblebee hovering. A further sensitivity analysis of the control parameters reveals that yaw control via manipulating pitch angle of the wing is mostly sensitive, implicating that bumblebee may utilize alternative yaw control strategies.展开更多
文摘While the leading-edge serration in owls' wing is known to be responsible for low noise gliding and flapping flights, the findings on its aero-acoustic role have been diverse or even controversial. Here we present an experimental study of the morphological effects of leading-edge serrations on aerodynamic force production by utilizing owl-inspired, single-feather, clean and serrated wing models with different serration lengths and spacing, and by combining Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and force measurements. Force measurements show that an increase in the length and density of the leading-edge serrations leads to a reduction in the lift coefficient and lift-to-drag ratio at Angles of Attack (AoAs) 〈 15° whereas the clean and serrated wings achieve comparable aerodynamic performance at higher AoAs 〉 15°, which owl wings often reach in flight. Furthermore PIV visualization of the flow fluctuations demonstrates that the leading-edge serration-based mechanism is consistent in all serrated wing models in terms of passive control of the laminar-turbulent transition while at AoAs 〉 15° similar suction flow is present at leading edge resulting in a comparable aerodynamic performance to that of the clean wing. Our results indicate the robustness and usefulness of leading-edge serration-inspired devices for aero-acoustic control in biomimetic rotor designs.
文摘Flight stabilization in insects is normally achieved through a closed-loop system integrating the intemal dynamics and feedback control. Recent studies have reported that flight instability may exist in most flying insects but how insects achieve the flight stabilization still remains poorly understood. Here we propose a control model specified for bumblebee hovering stabilization by applying a three-axis PD (proportional-derivative)-controller to a free-flying bumblebee computational model with six Degrees of Freedom (DoFs). Morphological and kinematic models of a realistic bumblebee in hovering are built up based on measurements whereas a versatile bio-inspired dynamic flight simulator is employed in simulations. A simplified flight dynamic model is further developed as a fast model for control parameter tuning. Our results demonstrate that the stabilizing control model is capable of achieving the hovering stabilization with small perturbations in terms of 6-DoF, implying that the simplified linear algorithms can still work reasonably for bumblebee hovering. A further sensitivity analysis of the control parameters reveals that yaw control via manipulating pitch angle of the wing is mostly sensitive, implicating that bumblebee may utilize alternative yaw control strategies.