In this work, the data analysis of oscillating flapping fins is conducted for mathematical model. Data points of heave and surge force obtained by the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) for different geometrical kinds of flapping fins. The fin undergoes a combination of vertical and angular oscillatory motion, while travelling at constant forward speed. The surge thrust and heave lift are generated by the combined motion of the flapping fins, especially due to the carrier vehicle’s heave and pitch motion will be investigated to acquire system identification with CFD data available while the fin pitching motion is selected as a function of fin vertical motion and it is imposed by an external mechanism. The data series applied to model unsteady lifting flow around the system will be employed to develop an optimization algorithm to establish an approximation transfer function model for heave force and obtain a predicting black box system with nonlinear theory for surge force with fin motion control synthesis.

Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMC) are a new class of smart materials that have attractive characteristics such as muscle like softness, low voltage and power consumption, and good performance in aqueous environments. Therefore, there is a significant motivation for research on design and development of IPMC based biomimetic propulsion systems for underwater vehicles. In aerospace, underwater vehicles finds application for forensic studies of spaceship wrecks, missile fragments and any airplane accidents in sea and ocean terrains. Such vehicles can also survey moons and planets that house water oceans. Among biomimetic swimming systems, fish inspired swimming has gained interest since fish like swimming provides high maneuverability, high cruising speed, noiseless propulsion and efficient stabilization compared to conventional propulsion systems. In this work, the paired pectoral fin based oscillatory propulsion using IPMC for aquatic propulsor applications is studied. Dynamic characteristics of IPMC fin are analyzed using numerical simulations and optimization is used to improve the fin design. A complex hydrodynamic function is used to describe the behavior of an active IPMC fin actuator in water. The structural model of the IPMC fin is obtained by modifying the classical dynamic equation for a slender beam to account for the electromechanical dynamics of the IPMC beam in water. A quasi-steady blade element model that accounts for unsteady phenomena such as added mass effects, dynamic stall, and the cumulative Wagner effect is used to estimate the hydrodynamic performance of the flapping fin. It is shown that the use of optimization methods can lead to significant improvement in performance of the IPMC fin. Further, three fish species with high performance flapping pectoral fin locomotion are chosen and performance analysis of each fin design is conducted to discover the better configurations for engineering applications. Dynamic characteristics of IPMC actuated flapping fins having the same size as the actual fins of three different fish species, Gomphosus varius, Scarus frenatus and Sthethojulis trilineata, are also analyzed. Finally, a comparative study is performed to analyze the performance of the three different biomimetic IPMC flapping pectoral fins.

No description available.

Développer, à partir de zéro, un drone imitant le vol battu de l'insecte est une tâche ambitieuse et ardue pour un designer en raison du manque de savoir-faire en la matière. Pour en accélérer le développement pendant les phases de design préliminaires, un outil modélisant les phénomènes aéroélastiques du vol de l'insecte est un véritable atout pour le designer et est le sujet de cette thèse. Le cœur de cet outil est un solveur éléments finis 'structure' couplé, en utilisant une approche par tranche, à un modèle aérodynamique quasi-statique du vol de l'insecte prenant en compte la flexibilité de l'aile, à la fois selon l'envergure et la corde, mais aussi ses grands déplacements. L'ensemble est conçu de manière à contenir le coût de calcul tout en étant assez modulaire pour s'adapter à un large panel d'applications. Afin de valider l'intégralité de cet outil, un processus en deux étapes a été entrepris avec d'abord une approche numérique et ensuite une validation expérimentale grâce à un banc de caractérisation dédié. Les résultats du modèle concordent de manière satisfaisante dans les deux cas, capturant l'amortissement dû aux forces aérodynamiques, et ouvrent ainsi la voie à son utilisation pour le design de drones à ailes battantes. Pour démontrer l'intérêt de cette approche lors des phases de design préliminaires, deux applications sur un nano-drone résonant sont réalisées: la définition d'une stratégie d'actionnement efficace et la recherche d'une géométrie d'aile potentiellement intéressante d'un point de vue aérodynamique, en couplant l'outil de modélisation à un algorithme génétique. Les résultats obtenus sont cohérents avec ceux trouvés dans la nature et sont en cours d'implémentation sur le drone. / Developing insect-like flapping-wing drones from scratch is an ambitious and arduous task for designers due to a lack of well-established know-how. To speed up the development of such vehicles through the preliminary design stage, a framework modeling the aeroelastic phenomena encountered in insect flight is an asset and is the subject of this thesis. Its kernel is a FEM based structural solver coupled in a blade-element approach to a quasi-steady aerodynamic model of insect flight accounting for the wing flexibility, both in the spanwise and in the chordwise direction, and for its large displacement. The complete framework is devised so as to maintain the computation load low while being modular enough for a wide range of applications. To validate the overall aeroelastic framework, a two-steps process has been undertaken with in one hand numerical studies and in the other hand experimental ones acquired on a dedicated test bench. The framework computation agrees satisfactorily, capturing the damping due to the aerodynamic force, and thus paves the way for preliminary design applications of a flapping-wing vehicle. To exhibit the capabilities of the framework as a preliminary design tool, two applications on a resonant nano air vehicle are performed: the definition of an efficient actuation strategy and the search of an aerodynamic potentially interesting wing geometry by plugging the framework to a genetic algorithm. The results are coherent with the ones found in nature and are under implementation on the nano air vehicle.

The flapping path of a single airfoil and dual airfoils in a biplane configuration is optimized for maximum thrust and/or propulsive efficiency. Unsteady, low speed viscous flows are computed using a Navier-Stokes solver in a parallel computing environment. A gradient based algorithm and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) are employed for optimization. The evaluation of gradient vector components and the design of experiments for RSM, which require unsteady solutions, are also carried out in parallel. Parallel computations are performed using Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) library. First, a single airfoil undergoing a combined sinusoidal or non-sinusoidal pitching and plunging motion is studied. The non-sinusoidal flapping motion is described using an elliptic curve or Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS). It is shown that the thrust generation may significantly be increased in comparison to the sinusoidal flapping motion. For a high thrust, the airfoil stays at high effective angle of attack values during the upstroke and the downstroke, and the effective pitching occurs at minimum and maximum plunge positions. Secondly, the optimization of sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal flapping paths of dual airfoils is considered. Moving and deforming overset grids are used for computations. The deforming overset grids remove the restrictions on the flapping motion, and improve the optimization results obtained earlier. At low flapping frequencies, an airfoil in a biplane configuration produces more thrust than a single airfoil. Yet, at high frequencies the airfoil in biplane configuration produces less thrust at a significantly lower efficiency than the single airfoil.

Airfoils &deg / apping in pitch and plunge are studied, and the &deg / apping motion parameters are op- timized to maximize thrust generation and the e&plusmn / ciency of the thrust generation. Unsteady viscous &deg / ow&macr / elds over &deg / apping airfoils are computed on overset grids using a Navier-Stokes solver. Computations are performed in parallel using Parallel Virtual Machine library routines in a computer cluster. A single &deg / apping airfoil and dual airfoils &deg / apping in a biplane con- &macr / guration are considered. A gradient based optimization algorithm is employed. The thrust production and the e&plusmn / ciency of the thrust production are optimized with respect to &deg / apping parameters / the plunging and pitching amplitudes, the &deg / apping frequency, and the phase shift between the pitch and plunge motions. It is observed that thrust generation of &deg / apping airfoils strongly depends on the phase shift and high thrust values may be obtained at the expense of reduced e&plusmn / ciency. For a high e&plusmn / ciency in thrust generation, the e&reg / ective angle of attack of the airfoil is reduced and large scale vortex formations at the leading edge are prevented. At a &macr / xed reduced &deg / apping frequency of 1, a single &deg / apping airfoil in pitch and plunge motion produces the maximum average thrust coe&plusmn / cient of 1:41 at the plunge amplitude of 1:60, the pitch amplitude of 23:5o, and the phase shift of 103:4o whereas the maximum e&plusmn / ciency of 67:5% is obtained at the plunge amplitude of 0:83, the pitch amplitude of 35:5o and the phase shift of 86:5o.

Birds and bats employ a variety of advanced wing motions in the efficient production of thrust. The purpose of this thesis is to quantify the benefit of these advanced wing motions, determine the optimal theoretical wing kinematics for a given flight condition, and to develop a methodology for applying the results in the optimal design of flapping-wing aircraft (ornithopters). To this end, a medium-fidelity, combined aero-structural model has been developed that is capable of simulating the advanced kinematics seen in bird flight, as well as the highly non-linear structural deformations typical of high-aspect ratio wings. Five unique methods of thrust production observed in natural species have been isolated, quantified and thoroughly investigated for their dependence on Reynolds number, airfoil selection, frequency, amplitude and relative phasing. A gradient-based optimization algorithm has been employed to determined the wing kinematics that result in the minimum required power for a generalized aircraft or species in any given flight condition. In addition to the theoretical work, with the help of an extended team, the methodology was applied to the design and construction of the world's first successful human-powered ornithopter. The Snowbird Human-Powered Ornithopter, is used as an example aircraft to show how additional design constraints can pose limits on the optimal kinematics. The results show significant trends that give insight into the kinematic operation of natural species. The general result is that additional complexity, whether it be larger twisting deformations or advanced wing-folding mechanisms, allows for the possibility of more efficient flight. At its theoretical optimum, the efficiency of flapping-wings exceeds that of current rotors and propellers, although these efficiencies are quite difficult to achieve in practice.

Birds and bats employ a variety of advanced wing motions in the efficient production of thrust. The purpose of this thesis is to quantify the benefit of these advanced wing motions, determine the optimal theoretical wing kinematics for a given flight condition, and to develop a methodology for applying the results in the optimal design of flapping-wing aircraft (ornithopters). To this end, a medium-fidelity, combined aero-structural model has been developed that is capable of simulating the advanced kinematics seen in bird flight, as well as the highly non-linear structural deformations typical of high-aspect ratio wings. Five unique methods of thrust production observed in natural species have been isolated, quantified and thoroughly investigated for their dependence on Reynolds number, airfoil selection, frequency, amplitude and relative phasing. A gradient-based optimization algorithm has been employed to determined the wing kinematics that result in the minimum required power for a generalized aircraft or species in any given flight condition. In addition to the theoretical work, with the help of an extended team, the methodology was applied to the design and construction of the world's first successful human-powered ornithopter. The Snowbird Human-Powered Ornithopter, is used as an example aircraft to show how additional design constraints can pose limits on the optimal kinematics. The results show significant trends that give insight into the kinematic operation of natural species. The general result is that additional complexity, whether it be larger twisting deformations or advanced wing-folding mechanisms, allows for the possibility of more efficient flight. At its theoretical optimum, the efficiency of flapping-wings exceeds that of current rotors and propellers, although these efficiencies are quite difficult to achieve in practice.

No description available.

No description available.