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Vortex dynamics of clapping plates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2013

Daegyoum Kim ,
Fazle Hussain  and
Morteza Gharib
Daegyoum Kim
Affiliation:
Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Fazle Hussain
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Morteza Gharib*
Affiliation:
Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
*
†Email address for correspondence: mgharib@caltech.edu
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Abstract

Vortex formation and force generation of clapping plates with various aspect ratios ($AR$) and stroke angles were investigated. Experiments were performed with a pair of hinged rectangular plates that were rotated symmetrically in a static fluid, and defocusing digital particle image velocimetry was employed to measure the three-dimensional flow field. Single-plate cases were also studied to compare with clapping plate cases. As $AR$ decreases, both circulation of the tip vortex and area enclosed by the vortex loop increase inversely. An empirical power-law relationship with a negative exponent is found between total impulse and $AR$ for a given stroke angle. The sensitivity of the force generated by the plates to the change of $AR$ is larger at the smaller stroke angle because of faster acceleration and deceleration. The increase in impulse per plate from the single-plate case to the clapping double-plate case is larger for lower $AR$. These results reveal that low $AR$ wings are more efficient in propulsive force generation in some specific modes of unsteady flapping flight. The evolution of the wake structures is found to depend on $AR$ and stroke angle.

JFM classification

Biological Fluid Dynamics: Biological Fluid Dynamics Biological Fluid Dynamics: Propulsion Biological Fluid Dynamics: Swimming/flying Vortex Flows: Vortex dynamics Vortex Flows: Vortex Flows
Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 714 , 10 January 2013 , pp. 5 - 23
Copyright
©2013 Cambridge University Press

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