Gliding flight represents one of the most critical phases in both natural avian locomotion and the operation of bio-inspired aerial models. This study investigates the surface flow field over three static wing configurations. To examine the influence of sweep-back on flow structures, three wings with the S1223 airfoil were tested: one without sweep-back, one with a conventional 30° sweep-back, and one with a 30° bird-inspired sweep-back incorporating a curved junction. While all models had identical chord lengths and wing areas, differences in sweep-back geometry led to slight variations in span. The models were evaluated in a wind tunnel under various angles of attack and flow velocities. To visualize the flow patterns, fluorescent powder and paraffin were applied to the wing surfaces, capturing the flow structure through surface imprinting. Ultraviolet illumination highlighted the flow patterns and their effects across the wing surfaces. The angle of attack was a controlled variable used to examine its role in shaping vortex formation and flow behavior across distinct sweep-back configurations. Findings indicate that at low angles of attack and prior to static stall, the separation bubble region was smallest in the bird-inspired model with a curved sweep-back, compared to both the non-swept and conventionally swept wings.
[1] J. J. Fu, C. Hefler, H. H. Qiu, and W. Shyy, "Effects of aspect ratio on flapping wing aerodynamics in animal flight," Acta Mechanica Sinica, vol. 30, pp. 776-786, 2014, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10409-014-0101-2.
[2] N. A. Razak and G. Dimitriadis, "Experimental study of wings undergoing active root flapping and pitching," Journal of Fluids and Structures, vol. 49, pp. 687-704, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfluidstructs.2014.06.009.
[3] D. Kumar, T. Goyal, S. K. Vemuri, P. Mohite, and S. Kamle, "Development and analysis of gull inspired UAV flapping wing," in 33rd AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, 2015, Paper 3157, http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/6.2015-3157.
[4] M. R. Voloojerdi and M. Mani, "Aerodynamic characteristics of conventional and innovative high lift swept wings," Journal of Bionic Engineering, vol. 16, pp. 432-441, 2019,http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42235-019-0035-2.
[5] M. Ramezani Voloojerdi and M. Mani, "Experimental investigation of the effect of flapping on the lift and thrust forces of 3D-wing," Amirkabir Journal of Mechanical Engineering, vol. 53, no. 3 (Special Issue), pp. 1697-1708, 2021, (in Persian), https://doi.org/10.22060/mej.2021.15292.6090.
[6] M. H. Djavareshkian and Y. Azargoon, "Empirical study of the ground effect on the dynamic stall of a flapping wing in forward flight," Fluid Mechanics and Aerodynamics, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 113-124, 2021, (in Persian), https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.23223278.1399.9.2.9.9.
[7] R. Addo-Akoto, J. S. Han, and J. H. Han, "Leading-edge curvature effect on aerodynamic performance of flapping wings in hover and forward flight," Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, vol. 19, no. 5, 2024, Paper. 056007,http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/ad5e50.
[8] M. Zhao, W. He, X. He, L. Zhang, and H. Zhao, "Design and performance analysis of different cambered wings for flapping-wing aerial vehicles based on wind tunnel test," Robotic Intelligence and Automation, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 698-712, 2024, http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/RIA-01-2024-0006.
[9] M. S. Selig, and J. J. Guglielmo, "High-lift low Reynolds number airfoil design,"Journal of Aircraft, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 72-79, 1997, https://doi.org/10.2514/2.2137
Eshraghi, H., Ramezani voloojerdi, M., & Mani, M. (2025). Experimental flow field investigation of swept bird-like rigid wing by flow visualization technique. Journal of Technology in Aerospace Engineering, 9(4), 63-70. https://doi.org/10.22034/jtae.2025.9.4.5
MLA
Eshraghi, H., Ramezani voloojerdi, M., & Mani, M. "Experimental flow field investigation of swept bird-like rigid wing by flow visualization technique", Journal of Technology in Aerospace Engineering, 9, 4, 2025, 63-70. doi: 10.22034/jtae.2025.9.4.5
HARVARD
Eshraghi H., Ramezani voloojerdi M., Mani M. (2025). 'Experimental flow field investigation of swept bird-like rigid wing by flow visualization technique', Journal of Technology in Aerospace Engineering, 9(4), pp. 63-70. doi: 10.22034/jtae.2025.9.4.5
CHICAGO
H. Eshraghi, M. Ramezani voloojerdi & M. Mani, "Experimental flow field investigation of swept bird-like rigid wing by flow visualization technique," Journal of Technology in Aerospace Engineering, 9 4 (2025): 63-70, doi: 10.22034/jtae.2025.9.4.5
VANCOUVER
Eshraghi H., Ramezani voloojerdi M., Mani M. Experimental flow field investigation of swept bird-like rigid wing by flow visualization technique. j. Technol. Aerosp. Eng. 2025;9(4):63-70 (In Persian). doi: 10.22034/jtae.2025.9.4.5