Simplified Modeling of Wing-Drag Reduction due to Structural Dynamics and Atmospheric Gusts

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

doi:10.2514/6.2008-6238

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The addition of sweep to the elastic axis provided noticeable improvements to the energy extracted when compared to an unswept elastic axis. The magnitude of the drag reductions shown here agree well with those presented by Ironside et al [35], who, for a sinusoidal gust profile, showed nearly 10% reductions in drag. The research in Ref.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

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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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Modeling of Gust Energy Extractions through Aeroelastic Tailoring

Melville¹

2021

Preprint

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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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“…According to Lynch and Rogers (1976), aeroelastic tailoring creates the possibility of drag reduction compared to a rigid wing. More specifically, induced drag reduction using aeroelastic tailoring has been applied to improve Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) performance by Weisshaar et al (1998), Bramesfeld et al (2008), and to Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) in Stanford and Ifju (2008). According to Shirk et al (1986) and Weisshaar and Duke (2006), wash-out wings are traditionally identified with induced drag reduction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aeroelastic tailoring using lamination parameters

Thuwis

Breuker

Abdalla

et al. 2009

Struct Multidisc Optim

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The aim of the present work is to passively reduce the induced drag of the rear wing of a Formula One car at high velocity through aeroelastic tailoring. The angle-ofattack of the rear wing is fixed and is determined by the required downforce needed to get around a turn. As a result, at higher velocity, the amount of downforce and related induced drag increases. The maximum speed on a straight part is thus reduced due to the increase in induced drag. A fibre reinforced composite torsion box with extension-shear coupled upper and lower skins is used leading to bendingtorsion coupling. Three-dimensional static aeroelastic analysis is performed loosely coupling the Finite Element code Nastran and the Computational Fluid Dynamics panel code VSAERO using ModelCenter. A wing representative of Formula One rear wings is optimised for minimum induced drag using a response surface methodology. Results indicate that a substantial induced drag reduction is achievable while maintaining the desired downforce during low speed turns.

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Simplified Modeling of Wing-Drag Reduction due to Structural Dynamics and Atmospheric Gusts

Cited by 8 publications

References 9 publications

Modeling of Gust Energy Extractions through Aeroelastic Tailoring

Modeling of Gust Energy Extractions through Aeroelastic Tailoring

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

Aeroelastic tailoring using lamination parameters

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