A three-dimensional numerical avian model was developed to investigate the unsteady and turbulent aerodynamic performance of flapping wings for varying wingbeat frequencies and flow velocities (up to 12 Hz and 9 m s(-1)), corresponding to a reduced frequency range of k=0.22 to k=1.0 and a Reynolds number range of Re=16,000 to Re=50,000. The wings of the bird-inspired model consist of an elastic...

A pilot study was conducted on a flapped semi-span model to investigate the concept and viability of near-wake vortex management via separation control. Passive control was achieved by means of a simple fairing and active control was achieved via zero mass-flux blowing slots. Vortex sheet strength, estimated by integrating surface pressure ports, was used to predict vortex characteristics by me...

Chorin's vortex blob method has been proposed as a way to extend vortex sheet motion past the singularity formation time, into the physically important roll-up regime. Basic questions are: 1. Does the vortex blob method converge to an infinite spiral as the smoothing parameter tends to zero? 2. Do vortex blob computations approximate real fluid motion? This paper will present and discuss three ...

Title of dissertation: DEVELOPMENT OF A TIME-ACCURATE VISCOUS LAGRANGIAN VORTEX WAKE MODEL FOR WIND TURBINE APPLICATIONS Sandeep Gupta, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 Dissertation directed by: Minta Martin Professor J. Gordon Leishman, Department of Aerospace Engineering A second-order accurate model has been developed and validated for modeling the unsteady aerodynamics of a wind turbine. The free...

We explore whether vortex flows in the wake of a fixed circular cylinder can be stabilized using harmonic forcing. We use Föppl's point vortex model augmented with a harmonic point source-sink mechanism which preserves conservation of mass and leaves the system Hamiltonian. We discover a region of Lyapunov-stable vortex motion for an appropriate selection of parameters. We identify four unique ...

The continuing development of fully autonomous aircraft requires advanced sensing and control systems in order to complete difficult tasks such as aerial refueling and close formation flight. To accomplish such maneuvers, an aircraft must be able to measure the location of nearby aircraft and position itself relative to these other flight vehicles. In visually degraded environments where vision...

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used to investigate the three-dimensional wakes of rigid pitching panels with a trapezoidal geometry, chosen to model idealized fish caudal fins. Experiments are performed for Strouhal numbers from 0.17 to 0.56 for two different trailing edge pitching amplitudes. A Lagrangian Coherent Structure (LCS) analysis is employed to investigate the formation and evolu...

In the current study, twin wind blades are designed, fabricated and the effect of various gap ratio (g*) at various angle of attacks (α) on a next to each other twin wind blades are examined in an open-channel wind tunnel. Aerodynamic forces and moments are determined by using three-constraint force balancer. For gap ratio of zero, the aerodynamic attributes are like those of a solitary wind bl...

Fishes have an enormous diversity of body shapes and fin morphologies. From a hydrodynamic standpoint, the functional significance of this diversity is poorly understood, largely because the three-dimensional flow around swimming fish is almost completely unknown. Fully three-dimensional volumetric flow measurements are not currently feasible, but measurements in multiple transverse planes alon...

This work summarises the impact of Coriolis forces on the formation of a vortex ring. The initial formation of the ring and subsequent transient migration to a steady structure is described, focussing on the processes by which the transition occurs. A side-by-side comparison of vortices generated with and without the impact of Coriolis forces is made using 3 component planar velocity field data...