• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.39 no.10
• /
• pp.905-911
• /
• 2011

With the progress of micro actuator technology, studies on the development of micro air flapping wing vehicles are actively undergoing. In the present study, the changes of both lift and thrust characteristics of the wings are investigated using a boundary element method. Lift of the heaving wing is not generated when the wing is beating with smaller frequencies than 1 Hz. Thrust increases with amplitude and frequency. As the wing's taper and aspect ratios increase, both lift and thrust also increase. Results on the pitching oscillation and flapping motion will be included in the future work.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.7
• /
• pp.9-17
• /
• 2005

The wake patterns and thrust characteristics of dual flapping airfoils in a biplane configuration are investigated using an unsteady panel method. To trace complicated wake shapes behind airfoils, a core addition scheme, a vortex core model, and the fourth order Runge-Kutta convection scheme are employed. Present results are verified by comparing them with flow visualization, exact solution and published computed results. The thickness and camber of thick airfoils has an effect of decreasing thrust. The airfoils produce maximum thrust when the phase angles between plunging and pitching motions are both 90 and 120 degrees. Thrust increases as the plunge velocity is increased, which is also found as the pitch amplitude is stepped up. Thrust decreases when the distance between the airfoils is less than 0.6c.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.36 no.12
• /
• pp.1146-1151
• /
• 2008

In this paper, the effects of torsional flexibility on a flapping airfoil are investigated. The aerodynamic forces of a torsional flexible flapping airfoil is computed using 2-D unsteady vortex panel method. A typical-section aeroelastic model is used for the aeroelsatic calculation of the flapping airfoil. Torsional flexibility and excitation frequency are considered as main effective parameters. Under heavy airfoil condition , the thrust peak is observed at the points where the frequency ratio is about 0.75. Based on this peak criterion, there exists two different motions. One is an inertia driven deformation motion and the other is an oscillation driven deformation motion. Also, in the thrust peak condition, the phase angle is kept 85 degrees, independent of the torsional flexibility and the excitation frequency.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.6
• /
• pp.54-62
• /
• 2023

Flapping-wing air vehicles, well known for their free vertical take-off and excellent flight capability, are currently under intensive development and research. While most of the studies have explored the effect of various parameters of synchronized motions on the unsteady aerodynamics of flapping wings, limited attention has been given to the effect of nonsynchronous motions on the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of flapping wings. In the present study, we conducted a numerical analysis to investigate the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of an airfoil flapping with different frequency ratios between pitch and heave oscillations. We identified the motions and angle of attacks due to nonsynchronous motions. It was found that the synchronous motion produced thrust with zero lift, but the nonsynchronous motion generated a large lift with little drag. The aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil undergoing the non-synchronous motion were also analyzed using the vorticity distributions and the pressure coefficient around and on the airfoil. When r was equal to 0.5, larger leading and trailing edge vortices were observed compared to the case when r was equal to 1.0, and these vortices significantly affected the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil undergoing the nonsynchronous motion. In future, the effect of pitch amplitude on the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil will be studied.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.1-5
• /
• 2006

Birds and insect in nature morph their mean camberline shapes to obtain both lift and thrust simultaneously. Previous unsteady thin airfoil theories were derived mainly for a rigid flapping airfoil. An extended unsteady thin airfoil theory for a deformable airfoil is required to analyze the unsteady two-dimensional aerodynamic characteristics of a biomorphing wing. Theodorsen's approach is extended to calculate the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of a biomorphing airfoil. The mean camberline of the airfoil is represented as a polynomial. The unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of the morphing airfoil are represented as noncirculatory and circulatory terms. Present theory can be applied to the unsteady aerodynamic analysis of a flapping biomorphing airfoil and the aeroelastic analysis of a morphing wing.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.261-267
• /
• 2013

In this paper, wind tunnel test and analytical prediction are compared for result of flapping motion in helicopter forward flight condition. Tests were performed at low speed wind tunnel at Chungnam National University, test section of wind tunnel has 1.8 by 1.8 meter open-jet test section area. According to the results of measured data for aerodynamic performance of model rotor in forward flight. It has to observed the difference of analytical and measured results of power coefficient for fixed thrust coefficient. And calculated and measured data of helicopter rotor flapping angles in forward flight are compared for a model rotor in a wind tunnel. A test was conducted to verify the measured data of coning and lateral/longitudinal flapping angle with predicted values.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aviation and Aeronautics
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.5-16
• /
• 2003

The present study was carried out to develop highly efficient RC ornithopter 'Songgolmae' powered by motor and battery. Designed electric ornithopter, which has the dimension of O.88m(W)${\times}$0.56m(L)${\times}$0.15m(H), is smaller than a conventional ornithopter. This ornithopter weighs 277 grams and has 3 channels radio control. It runs on an electric motor by a lithium polymer battery and has a gear ratio of about 75${\sim}$95 to 1 to flap its 88 cm wingspan. The aerodynamic performance of the ornithopter, applied to a flapping motion only, was validated by flight tests. Flight times have exceeded 23 minutes until the battery was used up. The flight test results indicate that the ornithopter developed here has sufficient thrust to propel itself in a forward flight. From the economical point of view and the handling of the RC ornithopter, it can be said that the developed robot ornithopter is an effective RC ornithopter. This robot ornithopter flies its way high into the sky just like a real bird flies. The robot ornithopter is used for a wide range of missions.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.35 no.5
• /
• pp.397-403
• /
• 2007

Insect and birds in nature flap their wings to generate fluid dynamic forces that are required for locomotion. To develop a feasible flapping MAV, it is of crucially important to study the fundamental relations between flapping motion and thrust generation. In this paper, the onset conditions of the thrust generation of a heaving flat plate is investigated using a Lattice-Boltzmann method. For a fixed heaving amplitude of h/C=0.5, the effect of reduced frequency on the thrust generation is investigated. For several values of heaving amplitude(h/C=0.25, 0.325, 0.50), the effect of reduced frequency on the thrust generation is also investigated. It can be said that Strouhal number is more important rather than reduced frequency in case of thrust generation. It is found that the critical Strouhal number over which the flat plate starts to produce thrust is around 0.1. Thrust is an exponential function of the Strouhal number.