Abstract
Water tunnel experiments on a flexible airfoil plunging with constant amplitude have been carried out for Reynolds numbers of 0 to 27000. Peaks in thrust coefficient at intermediate values of airfoil stiffness were observed at both zero and non-zero Reynolds numbers, indicating that a degree of flexibility is beneficial at low Reynolds numbers. Time-averaged velocity fields and momentum flux data revealed a broader, higher-velocity jet in cases of optimum airfoil stiffness. Stronger vortices, separated by a larger lateral distance, characterised the corresponding instantaneous velocity fields. The flexibility causes the airfoil to pitch passively; the phase angle of the pitch was found to lead the plunge. Pitch amplitude and trailing-edge amplitude were found to be single-valued functions of pitch phase angle. The shape characteristics of the airfoil could therefore be described by the pitch phase angle only. Thrust coefficient was found to be a function of only two parameters: Strouhal number and pitch phase angle. For each Strouhal number, a peak in thrust coefficient was observed at a particular value of the pitch phase angle. The optimum pitch phase angle was found to tend to a limit of 105±5 degrees at very large Strouhal numbers. A significant thrust benefit was observed over very stiff airfoils when the optimum flexibility is utilized.
Original language | English |
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Pages | 5473-5487 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Publication status | Published - 2005 |
Event | 43rd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit - Reno, NV, USA United States Duration: 1 Jan 2005 → … |
Conference
Conference | 43rd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit |
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Country/Territory | USA United States |
City | Reno, NV |
Period | 1/01/05 → … |
Keywords
- Airfoils
- Reynolds number
- Propulsion
- Tunnels