Aerodynamic interaction of collective plates in side-by-side arrangement

Abstract

In the tip-reversal upstroke of avian flight, individual feathers twist so as to create gaps between them. Although this behavior allows the feathers to function as individual lift-generating bodies, the lift generation mechanism of these multiple bodies remains unclear. This paper reports a numerical investigation of multiple stationary plates arranged side by side in a uniform flow. The aim is to elucidate the collective mechanism of the flow generated by the plates and the lift contribution of each plate. The angle of attack of each plate and the gap between the plates are varied to determine their influence on the flow and lift of the collection of plates. The time-averaged lift increases from the lowermost to the uppermost plate, and, at a high angle of attack, the total lift coefficient of the plates becomes greater than that of a single plate solely placed in a uniform flow. At a high angle of attack, vortex shedding from the upper plates is synchronized with some phase difference, resulting in synchronized lift fluctuations for individual plates and a reduction in the overall fluctuation amplitude. With an optimal gap ratio and angle of attack, the collective behavior of plates in side-by-side arrangement can be advantageous to enhance lift-generation performance.