Determination of pressure and load characteristics of flexible revolving wings by means of tomographic PIV
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Abstract
This study explores the flow field and fluid-dynamic loads generated by revolving low-aspect-ratio wings. The pressure field and load characteristics are successfully reconstructed from the phase-locked tomographic measurements in three independently measured volumes along the span of the wing. The vortical structures encompass a low pressure region and the spatial gradient information of the pressure field provides greater insights in their stability mechanisms. The low pressure region associated with the leading edge vortex and its close position to the wing surface are responsible for the high resultant forces acting on the wing. Simultaneous force measurements show a reasonable agreement with the reconstructed loads. The sectional lift and drag characteristics provide greater insights into the distributed load mechanisms along the span.