State-space representation of the unsteady aerodynamics of flapping flight

Haithem E. Taha, Muhammad R. Hajj, Philip S. Beran

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

142 Scopus citations

Abstract

A state-space formulation for the aerodynamics of flapping flight is presented. The Duhamel's principle, applied in linear unsteady flows, is extended to non-conventional lift curves to capture the LEV contribution. The aspect ratio effects on the empirical formulae used to predict the static lift due to a stabilized Leading Edge Vortex (LEV) are provided. The unsteady lift due to arbitrary wing motion is generated using the static lift curve. Then, state-space representation for the unsteady lift is derived. The proposed model is validated through a comparison with direct numerical simulations of Navier-Stokes on hovering insects. A comparison with quasi-steady models that capture the LEV contribution is also performed to assess the role of unsteadiness. Similarly, a comparison with classical unsteady approaches is presented to assess the LEV dominance. Finally, a reduced-order model that is more suitable for flight dynamics and control analyses is derived from the full model.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-11
Number of pages11
JournalAerospace Science and Technology
Volume34
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2014

Keywords

  • Aspect ratio effects
  • Duhamel's principle
  • Flapping flight
  • Indicial response
  • Leading Edge Vortex
  • Unsteady aerodynamics

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