Wake structure and aerodynamic characteristics of an auto-propelled pitching airfoil

Abstract

In the present study, we investigate the wake configuration as well as the flow aerodynamic and propulsive characteristics of a system equipped with a nature-inspired propulsion system. The study focuses on the effect of a set of pitching frequency and amplitude values on the flow behavior for a symmetric foil performing pitching sinusoidal rolling oscillations. The viscous, non-stationary flow around the pitching foil is simulated using ANSYS FLUENT 13. The foil movement is reproduced using the dynamic mesh technique and an in-house developed UDF (User Define Function). Our results show the influence of the pitching frequency and the amplitude on the wake. We provide the mechanisms relating the system behavior to the applied forces. The frequency varies from 1 to 400Hz and the considered amplitudes are 18%, 24%, 30%, 37%, 53%, 82% and 114% of the foil chord.