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Aerospace
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Bioinspired Solutions for Flight
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Bioinspired Solutions for Flight

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Aeronautics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 6928

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Woei Leong Chan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Cheng Kung University, No.1, University Road, Tainan City 70101, Taiwan
Interests: biomimetic flight; flapping wing; micro-air-vehicles

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In contemporary engineering, natural systems have emerged as a valuable source of inspiration for the development of more efficient and sustainable solutions. As bio-inspired engineering solutions continue to advance rapidly, they provide an opportunity for the scientific community to gain deeper insights into the workings of nature, fostering a virtuous cycle of development and discovery. Within aerospace engineering, bio-inspired solutions have been explored in all pillars of flight encompassing aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and dynamics/control. The development of micro air vehicles (MAVs) has also facilitated progress in this area, given their size and weight similarities to avian species in nature. Over the past two decades, significant efforts have been directed towards creating practical flapping-wing flying machines, including bird-like and insect-like vehicles. It is worth noting that bio-inspired solutions extend beyond achieving lift and thrust. They also cover a range of flight-related challenges, including the development of morphing winglets for improved flight efficiency, propeller optimization, noise reduction, neural networks for nonlinear flight control, source seeking, and obstacle avoidance, as well as creating structures for better energy absorption in collisions. While much work remains to be done to bring these technologies to the mainstream, the scientific community must continue to push the limits and demonstrate that bio-inspired solutions are on par with, if not superior to, conventional solutions. This Special Issue is dedicated to exploring bio-inspired solutions for flight across all pillars of aerospace engineering. It aims to gather knowledge and insights from experts in the field, fostering progress towards more sustainable and efficient solutions.

Dr. Woei Leong Chan
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 11003 KiB  
Article
Framework for Numerical 6DOF Simulation with Focus on a Wing Deforming UAV in Perch Landing
by Wee-Beng Tay, Woei-Leong Chan, Ren-Ooi Chong and Jonathan Tay Chien-Ming
Aerospace 2024, 11(8), 657; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11080657 - 12 Aug 2024
Viewed by 876
Abstract
The perch landing maneuver of a wing-deforming unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was investigated through a framework that uses the free, open-source OpenFOAM with 6 degrees of freedom (6DOF) simulations. The framework uses a moving grid to follow the trajectory of the UAV, reducing [...] Read more.
The perch landing maneuver of a wing-deforming unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was investigated through a framework that uses the free, open-source OpenFOAM with 6 degrees of freedom (6DOF) simulations. The framework uses a moving grid to follow the trajectory of the UAV, reducing computational resources. Together with the ability to allow internal grid deformation, sliding mesh, and algorithm addition, it can accurately mimic the entire landing process. Different wing deformation speeds, additional elevator rotation and emulated propeller lift were added to the 6DOF simulations to investigate their effects on the landing maneuver. The results showed that the wing deformation retraction speed has a considerable effect on the trajectory and velocity of the UAV. The wing deformation reduced the forward velocity of the UAV by 32%, from 13.89 to 9 m/s. With the elevator control, the velocity was reduced to 5 m/s. Lastly, and an activation time of 1 s for the emulated propeller lift can further decrease the velocity to around 4.2 m/s. A better algorithm for the emulated propeller lift may be able to give a superior performance. This framework allows us to understand the underlying perch landing maneuver aerodynamics. It can also be used on problems like fast-turning agile and flapping wing flight. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Solutions for Flight)
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22 pages, 9717 KiB  
Article
Numerical Study on the Corner Separation Control for a Compressor Cascade via Bionic Herringbone Riblets
by Peng Zhang, Rixin Cheng and Yonghong Li
Aerospace 2024, 11(1), 90; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11010090 - 18 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1456
Abstract
Bionic herringbone riblets are applied to relieve the flow near the blade endwall in a linear compressor cascade under the incidence angle of −4° to 6° at a Reynolds number of 382,000. The herringbone riblets are placed at the endwall upstream of the [...] Read more.
Bionic herringbone riblets are applied to relieve the flow near the blade endwall in a linear compressor cascade under the incidence angle of −4° to 6° at a Reynolds number of 382,000. The herringbone riblets are placed at the endwall upstream of the blade, and the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations are performed to explore their effects on corner separation and the control mechanism. The results show that the herringbone riblets can effectively improve the corner separation over the stable operating range, and the control effect is affected by the riblet height and the yaw angle. The implementation of herringbone riblets with a height of only 0.08 boundary layer thickness and a yaw angle of 30 degrees can reduce the total pressure loss by up to 9.89% and increase the static pressure coefficient by 12.27%. Flow details indicate that small-scale vortices in the riblet channels can accumulate and form a high-intensity large-scale vortex close to the bottom of the boundary layer downstream. Compared with traditional vortex generators, the herringbone riblets induce a vortex closer to the wall due to their smaller size, which can reduce the damage of an induced vortex to the mainstream and enhance its control over the bottom of the boundary layer, thereby effectively reducing additional losses. The induced vortex enhances mixing and injects kinetic energy into the low-energy fluid, thus inhibiting the transverse migration of low-energy fluid in the endwall boundary layer, delaying the formation of the separating vortex, further suppressing the development of corner separation and improving the aerodynamic performance of the cascade. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Solutions for Flight)
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21 pages, 7246 KiB  
Article
Design and Flight Performance of a Bio-Inspired Hover-Capable Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle with Tail Wing
by Shengjie Xiao, Yuhong Sun, Dapeng Ren, Kai Hu, Huichao Deng, Yun Wang and Xilun Ding
Aerospace 2023, 10(11), 910; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10110910 - 25 Oct 2023
Viewed by 2354
Abstract
A key challenge in flapping-wing micro air vehicle (FWMAV) design is to generate high aerodynamic force/torque for improving the vehicle’s maneuverability. This paper presents a bio-inspired hover-capable flapping-wing micro air vehicle, named RoboFly.S, using a cross-tail wing to adjust attitude. We propose a [...] Read more.
A key challenge in flapping-wing micro air vehicle (FWMAV) design is to generate high aerodynamic force/torque for improving the vehicle’s maneuverability. This paper presents a bio-inspired hover-capable flapping-wing micro air vehicle, named RoboFly.S, using a cross-tail wing to adjust attitude. We propose a novel flapping mechanism composed of a two-stage linkage mechanism, which has a large flapping angle and high reliability. Combined with the experimentally optimized wings, this flapping mechanism can generate more than 34 g of lift with a total wingspan of 16.5 cm, which is obviously superior to other FWMAVs of the same size. Aerodynamic force/torque measurement systems are used to observe and measure the flapping wing and aerodynamic data of the vehicle. RoboFly.S realizes attitude control utilizing the deflection of the cross-tail wing. Through the design and experiments with tail wing parameters, it is proved that this control method can generate a pitch torque of 2.2 N·mm and a roll torque of 3.55 N·mm with no loss of lift. Flight tests show that the endurance of RoboFly.S can reach more than 2.5 min without interferences. Moreover, the vehicle can carry a load of 3.4 g for flight, which demonstrates its ability to carry sensors for carrying out tasks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Solutions for Flight)
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17 pages, 81866 KiB  
Article
Influence of a Deflectable Leading-Edge on a Flapping Airfoil
by Emanuel A. R. Camacho, Flávio D. Marques and André R. R. Silva
Aerospace 2023, 10(7), 615; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10070615 - 5 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1596
Abstract
Flapping wing dynamics are of great interest in many research areas, such as bioinspired systems and aircraft aeroelasticity. The findings of the present study provide significant insight into the importance of the leading-edge dynamic incidence on the propulsive performance of flapping airfoils. The [...] Read more.
Flapping wing dynamics are of great interest in many research areas, such as bioinspired systems and aircraft aeroelasticity. The findings of the present study provide significant insight into the importance of the leading-edge dynamic incidence on the propulsive performance of flapping airfoils. The main objective is to improve the propulsive characteristics by adding a pitching leading-edge to a conventional NACA0012 airfoil at the lower spectrum of the Reynolds number. The problem is solved numerically at a Reynolds number of 104 under various flapping conditions. The results show that the leading-edge pitching amplitude has a great impact on the propulsive power and efficiency, providing meaningful improvements. The required power coefficient is reduced overall, although not as significantly as the propulsive power. The influence of the movable leading-edge on the pressure distribution is analyzed, showing that the enlargement of the frontal area is the root cause of propulsive augmentation. The proposed geometry provides an innovative way of flapping an airfoil with propulsive purposes, offering remarkable improvements that can defy conventional flapping. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Solutions for Flight)
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