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Vortex dynamics and new lift enhancement mechanism of wing–body interaction in insect forward flight

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 April 2016

Geng Liu ,
Haibo Dong  and
Chengyu Li
Geng Liu
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
Haibo Dong*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
Chengyu Li
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
*
†Email address for correspondence: haibo.dong@virginia.edu
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Abstract

The effects of wing–body interaction (WBI) on aerodynamic performance and vortex dynamics have been numerically investigated in the forward flight of cicadas. Flapping wing kinematics was reconstructed based on the output of a high-speed camera system. Following the reconstruction of cicada flight, three models, wing–body (WB), body-only (BD) and wings-only (WN), were then developed and evaluated using an immersed-boundary-method-based incompressible Navier–Stokes equations solver. Results have shown that due to WBIs, the WB model had a 18.7 % increase in total lift production compared with the lift generated in both the BD and WN models, and about 65 % of this enhancement was attributed to the body. This resulted from a dramatic improvement of body lift production from 2 % to 11.6 % of the total lift produced by the wing–body system. Further analysis of the associated near-field and far-field vortex structures has shown that this lift enhancement was attributed to the formation of two distinct vortices shed from the thorax and the posterior of the insect, respectively, and their interactions with the flapping wings. Simulations are also used to examine the new lift enhancement mechanism over a range of minimum wing–body distances, reduced frequencies and body inclination angles. This work provides a new physical insight into the understanding of the body-involved lift-enhancement mechanism in insect forward flight.

JFM classification

Biological Fluid Dynamics: Biological Fluid Dynamics Biological Fluid Dynamics: Swimming/flying Vortex Flows: Vortex dynamics
Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 795 , 25 May 2016 , pp. 634 - 651
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Copyright
© 2016 Cambridge University Press 

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Liu et al. supplementary movie

3D flow structures of WB model

Download Liu et al. supplementary movie(Video)
Video 8.2 MB

Liu et al. supplementary movie

3D flow structures of WN model

Download Liu et al. supplementary movie(Video)
Video 8.2 MB