Modeling of Wing Drag Reductions Due to Structural Dynamics in Atmospheric Gusts

Ironside, Daniel J.; Bramesfeld, Goetz; Schwochow, Jan

doi:10.2514/6.2010-4683

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…For a MAV flying in the ABL, the turbulence is comparatively stronger and, as pointed out by Langelaan and Bramesfeld [22], it opens up the possibility for greater energy gains according to Phillips' theory. More recent work has explored this possibility for smaller UAVs, of conventional wing tail configuration, either by using active control methods to optimally adjust the vehicles instantaneous angle of attack for maximum energy gain [21][22][23], or by tuning aeroelasticity and structural dynamics for the wing to naturally flex in order to optimally harvest the energy [24,25]. Another area of energy harvesting in atmospheric winds, which has some similarities to the energy gain in turbulence, is the phenomenon called dynamic soaring.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing of Atmospheric Turbulence Effects on the Performance of Micro Air Vehicles

Lundström

Krus

2012

International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles

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Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) are generally operated at low altitudes and within the earth boundary layer. This is a very dynamic environment with varying wind intensity and turbulence levels far greater than those experienced by traditional manned aircraft cruising at higher altitudes. Yet aerodynamic research on MAVs is often based on the assumption of steady aerodynamics. Little effort has been made to experimentally determine the validity of this assumption. In this paper, the effect of turbulence on the performance of a MAV is studied using flight testing in different wind conditions. Flight testing technique, data logging equipment and data reduction are explained. Additionally, a low cost technique for propeller performance measurement is presented. Results show that the flow around a MAV flying in windy conditions qualifies as highly unsteady, although the impact on its performance is surprisingly small for the kind of turbulence levels at which MAVs can be expected to operate. Accelerometer data from the flights reveals that if steady aerodynamic theory is assumed, increasing turbulence should have resulted in a measurable drag increase, thus indicating that the tested MAV to some extent passively manages to benefit from the turbulence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing of Atmospheric Turbulence Effects on the Performance of Micro Air Vehicles

Lundström

Krus

2012

International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles

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“…1.4a. Ironside et al [19] used such an approach model the aeroelastic response of a sailplane wing configuration. The advantage of the explicit approach is its simplicity to implement and relatively low computational cost; it can, however, be subject to stability issues at larger time step sizes.…”

Section: Implicit/explicit Finite Difference Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This method was used in a similar manner by Ironside et al [19] to investigate the aeroelastic response of a high performance sailplane wing. The finite difference method discretizes the structure into several nodal grid points; at each of these grid points, the equations of motion are solved and a response of the entire wing is formulated.…”

Section: Explicit Finite Difference Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling of Gust Energy Extractions through Aeroelastic Tailoring

Melville¹

2021

Preprint

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A tightly coupled fluid-structure interaction model is presented for studying the performance of flexible wings that encounter atmospheric gusts. The aerodynamic module uses a higher-order potential flow method, that provides numerical robustness and efficiency. The structural dynamics is modelled through an explicit finite difference method of the time-depenedent Euler-Bernoulli equations. Coupled together, these approaches offer numerical accuracy at a fraction of the computational time than is required for higher fidelity approaches. Previous research has suggested energy gains are possible from atmospheric gusts through aeroelastic tailoring. Case studies were performed using the aeroelastic model to investigate the merit of using aeroelastic tailoring as a passive means for performance improvement. Design trends were established that highlight configurations that achieve the best energy extraction from a gust. Reductions in wing drag of between 6.9% and 10.5% were observed, while gains of 0.25% between different aeroelastic configurations were presented. The forward sweeping of the elastic axis was deemed to have the greatest effect on energy extraction capabilities.

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“…A method for the atmospheric disturbance effect on roll and yaw motions has been proposed by Ringnes and Frost [19] based on well-known Prandtl lifting-line theory. Moreover, besides the already described methods of gust energy extraction using active control, some benefits could be achieved using a passive approach that makes use of the longitudinal stability of the aircraft and the dynamic response of the structure, particularly of the wing by Ironside et al [20,21] and Mai [22].…”

Section: Related Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Improvement of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Through Gust Energy Harvesting

Gavrilovic

Bénard

Pastor

et al. 2018

Journal of Aircraft

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Modeling of Wing Drag Reductions Due to Structural Dynamics in Atmospheric Gusts

Cited by 7 publications

References 12 publications

Testing of Atmospheric Turbulence Effects on the Performance of Micro Air Vehicles

Testing of Atmospheric Turbulence Effects on the Performance of Micro Air Vehicles

Modeling of Gust Energy Extractions through Aeroelastic Tailoring

Performance Improvement of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Through Gust Energy Harvesting

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