Navigating vortex gust interactions and mitigations by plunging wings

Abstract

Inspired by the stability achieved by biological flapping-winged fliers in gusty environments, we conducted particle image velocimetry studies on the interactions between plunging wings and large-scale vortex gusts. Our experiments involved a flat plate wing performing sinusoidal plunging motions at various frequencies, resulting in Strouhal numbers (St) ranging from 0 to 0.5 within which biological fliers commonly operate. This range of St corresponded to reduced frequencies (k) between 0 and 0.79 at a chord Reynolds number of 2000. The gust structures, generated periodically by pitching vanes, traveled downstream to the wing. We observed the vortex interactions between wing-induced vortices [particularly the boundary layer and the leading-edge vortex (LEV)] and the gusts. Additionally, we quantified the gusts' effects on the local flow around the wing by calculating the circulation within a control region attached to the plunging wing. The wing-induced vorticity merged momentarily with gusts of the same-sign vorticity. In contrast, opposite-sign gusts not only increased the circulation of the wing-induced vortices but also led to the LEV detaching faster. While gusts had the potential to significantly alter the flow around the wings, the plunging wings sometimes managed to avoid the gusts due to their transverse motion. Furthermore, the prolonged presence of the stronger LEVs near the wing, which are characteristic of plunging wings at higher St and k, could deflect the gusts away, reducing their impact on the vorticity and circulation within the control region. These findings illustrate how robust flapping kinematics can mitigate the effects of vortex gusts.