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Vortex shedding and frequency selection in flapping flight

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2000

Z. JANE WANG
Affiliation:
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, NY 10012, USA Permanent address: Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; email: jane.wang@cornell.edu.

Abstract

Motivated by our interest in unsteady aerodynamics of insect flight, we devise a computational tool to solve the Navier–Stokes equation around a two-dimensional moving wing, which mimics biological locomotion. The focus of the present work is frequency selection in forward flapping flight. We investigate the time scales associated with the shedding of the trailing- and leading-edge vortices, as well as the corresponding time-dependent forces. We present a generic mechanism of the frequency selection as a result of unsteady aerodynamics.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press

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