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Experimental analysis of fluid-structure interaction in flexible wings at low Reynolds number flows

Mustafa Serdar Genç (Wind Engineering and Aerodynamic Research Lab., Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Energy Conversion Research and Application Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey)
Hacımurat Demir (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aksaray University, Aksaray, Turkey)
Mustafa Özden (Wind Engineering and Aerodynamic Research Lab., Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey)
Tuna Murat Bodur (Wind Engineering and Aerodynamic Research Lab., Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey and MSG Teknoloji Ltd. Şti, Kayseri, Turkey)

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology

ISSN: 0002-2667

Article publication date: 13 July 2021

Issue publication date: 12 August 2021

278

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this exhaustive experimental study is to investigate the fluid-structure interaction in the flexible membrane wings over a range of angles of attack for various Reynolds numbers.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, an experimental study on fluid-structure interaction of flexible membrane wings was presented at Reynolds numbers of 2.5 × 104, 5 × 104 and 7.5 × 104. In the experimental studies, flow visualization, velocity and deformation measurements for flexible membrane wings were performed by the smoke-wire technique, multichannel constant temperature anemometer and digital image correlation system, respectively. All experimental results were combined and fluid-structure interaction was discussed.

Findings

In the flexible wings with the higher aspect ratio, higher vibration modes were noticed because the leading-edge separation was dominant at lower angles of attack. As both Reynolds number and the aspect ratio increased, the maximum membrane deformations increased and the vibrations became visible, secondary vibration modes were observed with growing the leading-edge vortices at moderate angles of attack. Moreover, in the graphs of the spectral analysis of the membrane displacement and the velocity; the dominant frequencies coincided because of the interaction of the flow over the wings and the membrane deformations.

Originality/value

Unlike available literature, obtained results were presented comparatively using the sketches of the smoke-wire photographs with deformation measurement or turbulence statistics from the velocity measurements. In this study, fluid-structure interaction and leading-edge vortices of membrane wings were investigated in detail with increasing both Reynolds number and the aspect ratio.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) under project number: 213M329 and the Scientific Research Projects Unit of Erciyes University under the contract numbers: FDK-2015–6171, FDA-2014–5273 and FBG-2014–5337 for funding.

Citation

Genç, M.S., Demir, H., Özden, M. and Bodur, T.M. (2021), "Experimental analysis of fluid-structure interaction in flexible wings at low Reynolds number flows", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 93 No. 6, pp. 1060-1075. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-04-2021-0120

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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