Three-dimensional flow and lift characteristics of a hovering ruby-throated hummingbird.

ABSTRACT: A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation is performed for a ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) in hovering flight. Realistic wing kinematics are adopted in the numerical model by reconstructing the wing motion from high-speed imaging data of the bird. Lift history and the three-dimensional flow pattern around the wing in full stroke cycles are captured in the simulation. Significant asymmetry is observed for lift production within a stroke cycle. In particular, the downstroke generates about 2.5 times as much vertical force as the upstroke, a result that confirms the estimate based on the measurement of the circulation in a previous experimental study. Associated with lift production is the similar power imbalance between the two half strokes. Further analy

SUBMITTER: Song J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4233705 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature