Aerodynamic and Aeroacoustic Performance of a Wing with Structured Surface Inspired by Owl’s Wings

Abstract

With the advent of various advanced materials, the idea of flying like birds has attracted considerable attention in recent years. In addition, aeroacoustics has become an important issue and is being widely studied. In this work, based on the shape of Owls’ wings, an attempt was made to improve the aeroacoustic and aerodynamic performances of conventional aircraft wings. For this purpose, wings with different elements, namely, square, triangular, and semicircular, on their top surface were examined. In addition, three different spatial distributions of the elements according to the Owl’s wings shape were considered. For incompressible airflow, aerodynamic and aeroacoustic parameters of wing with structured surfaces were investigated. Also, a wing with serrations was examined. The results indicate that wings with elements distributed starting from maximum section thickness and continuing up to the trailing edge are the most suitable case for both aerodynamic and aeroacoustic improvements. On the other hand, a two-sided serrated wing and a serrated wing in the trailing edge reduce the sound level significantly. In addition, the use of both elements and serrations delays wing stall and thus markedly increases the maximum lift coefficient.