Numerical assessment of wake-based estimation of instantaneous lift in flapping flight of large birds.

ABSTRACT: Experimental characterization of bird flight without instrumenting the animal requires measuring the flow behind the bird in a wind tunnel. Models are used to link the measured velocities to the corresponding aerodynamic forces. Widely-used models can, however, prove inconsistent when evaluating the instantaneous lift. Yet, accurately estimating variations of lift is critical in order to reverse-engineer flapping flight. In this work, we revisit mathematical models of lift based on the conservation of momentum in a control volume around a bird. Using a numerical framework to represent a flapping bird wing and compute the flow around it, we mimic the conditions of a wind tunnel and produce realistic wakes, which we compare to experimental data. Providing ground truth measurements of the flo

SUBMITTER: Colognesi V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10159204 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature