Research Projects

"The development of bio-inspired Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) and Unmanned Under Water Vehicles (UUWV) has gained significant attention in recent decades. Flapping type MAVs and UUWVs are preferred due to their high maneuverability and stealth potential, often inspired by the wing kinematics of natural flyers and swimmers. Insects like dragonflies exhibit advanced locomotion skills, leading researchers to investigate the aerodynamics of tandem wings. The wing-wake interactions in the tandem flapping-wing configuration depend on flapping kinematics and wing geometries. Unsteady events like the formation of large-scale vortex structures, shear layer separation and reattachment, and the evolution of the far-field wake regime significantly modify the aerodynamic and propulsive performance of the tandem airfoils. This proposed study aims to extend the investigation on high-aspect-ratio tandem flapping airfoils with leading-edge tubercles, as seen in the humpback whale's flippers. Tubercles on the leading edge of an airfoil can alter the flow structure around the airfoil by developing counter-rotating spanwise vortices. This study aims to compare the propulsion effectiveness of high aspect ratio single and tandem tubercle flapping airfoils through water tunnel experiments and numerical simulations. The tubercle geometry will be modified from smooth sinusoidal to sharp sawtooth type to understand its effect on the vortex dynamics and aerodynamics performance of the flapping airfoils. The study aims to derive an optimum set of flapping parameters and arrangement of the tandem tubercle airfoils for maximum thrust and efficiency performance in forward flight conditions."

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