On the study of the pitch angular offset effects at various flapping frequencies for a two-dimensional asymmetric flapping airfoil in forward flight

Abstract

This article explores the aerodynamic performance of a two-dimensional elliptical airfoil undergoing sinusoidal heaving and asymmetric pitching motions in forward-flight conditions for the Strouhal number (St) range of 0.1–0.6. The study employs numerical simulations and water tunnel experiments to investigate the effects of non-zero pitch angular offset angles (θoffset) while maintaining a fixed Reynolds number of 5000 and an effective angle of attack amplitude of 15° at the pivot location. The θoffset is varied from −15° to +15° at 5° intervals. The present research shows that these parameters significantly impact the leading-edge effective angle of attack, flow velocity, and the formation of high-pressure regions, which are crucial factors in thrust and lift generation throughout the flapping cycle. Moreover, the pitch angle determines whether the resultant force favors thrust or lift. It is observed that the cyclic time-averaged lift consistently increases with θoffset, surpassing symmetric cases (θoffset = 0°). Conversely, the cyclic time-averaged thrust is lower for non-zero θoffset values. Increasing St enhances both cyclic time-averaged thrust and lift up to the respective critical Sts, after which their performance declines. Notably, the critical St of cyclic time-averaged lift exceeds that of cyclic time-averaged thrust; interestingly, their values are invariant with θoffset. Moreover, in the conditions where thrust efficiency maximizes, lift efficiency attains a minimum value and vice versa. So, depending upon the application, one needs to suitably select the pitch angular offset and flapping frequency to maximize thrust or lift performance.