Aerodynamic performance of a bristled wing of a very small insect

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  • Dynamically scaled model experiments and computational fluid dynamics simulations using a revolving wing model

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<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Aerodynamic force generation capacity of the wing of a miniature beetle<jats:italic>Paratuposa placentis</jats:italic>is evaluated using a combined experimental and numerical approach. The wing has a peculiar shape reminiscent of a bird feather, often found in the smallest insects. Aerodynamic force coefficients are determined from a dynamically scaled force measurement experiment with rotating bristled and membrane wing models in a glycerin tank. Subsequently, they are used as numerical validation data for computational fluid dynamics simulations using an adaptive Navier–Stokes solver. The latter provides access to important flow properties such as leakiness and permeability. It is found that, in the considered biologically relevant regimes, the bristled wing functions as a less than<jats:inline-formula><jats:alternatives><jats:tex-math>$$50\%$$</jats:tex-math><mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>50</mml:mn><mml:mo>%</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:math></jats:alternatives></jats:inline-formula>leaky paddle, and it produces between 66 and<jats:inline-formula><jats:alternatives><jats:tex-math>$$96\%$$</jats:tex-math><mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>96</mml:mn><mml:mo>%</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:math></jats:alternatives></jats:inline-formula>of the aerodynamic drag force of an equivalent membrane wing. The discrepancy increases with increasing Reynolds number. It is shown that about half of the aerodynamic normal force exerted on a bristled wing is due to viscous shear stress. The paddling effectiveness factor is proposed as a measure of aerodynamic efficiency.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Graphic abstract</jats:title></jats:sec>

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  • Experiments in Fluids

    Experiments in Fluids 61 (9), 194-, 2020-08-10

    Springer Science and Business Media LLC

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