Flapping states of an el astically anchored wing in a uniform flow

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the stability and fluttering behavior of an elastically anchored wing in a uniform flow, combining analytical, numerical, and simulation methods to understand the transition between stable and fluttering states.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analytical and numerical study of the fluttering dynamics of an elastically anchored wing, explicitly incorporating wake effects via Theodorsen's theory.

Findings

Relationships between parameters governing stability and fluttering

Verification of marginal curve shape through high Reynolds number simulations

Insights into optimal configurations for energy harvesting applications

Abstract

Linear stability analysis of an elastically anchored wing in a uniform flow is investigated both analytically and numerically. The analytical formulation explicitly takes into account the effect of the wake on the wing by means of Theodorsen's theory. Three different parameters non-trivially rule the observed dynamics: mass density ratio between wing and fluid, spring elastic constant and distance between the wing center of mass and the spring anchor point on the wing. We found relationships between these parameters which rule the transition between stable equilibrium and fluttering. The shape of the resulting marginal curve has been successfully verified by high Reynolds number direct numerical simulations. Our findings are of interest in applications related to energy harvesting by fluid-structure interaction, a problem which has recently attracted a great deal of attention. The main aim in that context is to identify the optimal physical/geometrical system configuration leading to large sustained motion, which is the source of energy we aim to extract.