Lift enhancement by dynamically changing wingspan in forward flapping flight

Dynamically stretching and retracting wingspan has been widely observed in the flight of birds and bats, and its effects on the aerodynamic performance particularly lift generation are intriguing. The rectangular flat-plate flapping wing with a sinusoidally stretching and retracting wingspan is proposed as a simple model for biologically inspired dynamic morphing wings. Numerical simulations of the low-Reynolds-number flows around the flapping morphing wing are conducted in a parametric space by using the immersed boundary method. It is found that the instantaneous and time-averaged lift coefficients of the wing can be significantly enhanced by dynamically changing wingspan in a flapping cycle. The lift enhancement is caused by both changing the lifting surface area and manipulating the flow structures responsible to the vortex lift generation. The physical mechanisms behind the lift enhancement are explored by examining the three-dimensional flow structures around the flapping wing. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC