Influence of aspect ratio on wing–wake interaction for flapping wing in hover

Abstract

The interaction between an insect wing and its wake during hovering flight is inevitable. The effect of this wing–wake interaction (WWI) during stroke reversal is an intricate phenomenon that is difficult to forecast. Previous studies have mostly concentrated on the effect of aspect ratio (AR) on the leading-edge vortex (LEV) at the middle of stroke motion. However, the effect of AR on LEV during stroke reversal, which is where the intricate WWI phenomenon occurs, has not been fully exploited. This study aimed at revealing how AR affects WWI during stroke reversal at Re of ~ 104, and the role LEV plays. The experimental time-course measurement of force showed that the WWI at stroke reversal was strengthened by decreasing AR irrespective of pitching duration. A time-varying digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) measurement revealed a jet-like flow induced by a pair of counter-rotating trailing edge vortex (TEV) as the primitive source of the interaction. This study found a WWI that appeared at the wing root contrary to the conventional type in literature, which appeared at the wing tip. The size of the LEV at the wing root played a key role by facilitating the effectiveness of the wing rotation. AR = 2 wing benefited much from this form of WWI by generating strong coherent shear layer at the end of stroke, and relatively weak LEV during stroke reversal. Thus, this type of WWI might be mostly beneficial for low AR wings (AR < 3).