Coupled Dynamics of Steady Jet Flow Control for Flexible Membrane Wings

Abstract

We present a steady jet-flow-based flow control of flexible membrane wings for the adaptive and efficient motion of bat-inspired drones in complex flight environments. A body-fitted variational computational aeroelastic framework is adopted for the modeling of fluid–structure interactions. High-momentum jet flows are injected from the leading edge and transported to the wake flows to alter the aerodynamic performance and the membrane vibration. The coupled dynamic effect of active jet flow control on membrane performance is systematically explored. While the results indicate that the current active flow control strategy performs well at low angles of attack, its effectiveness degrades at high angles of attack with large flow separation. To understand the coupling mechanism, the variations of the vortex patterns are examined by the proper orthogonal decomposition modes, and the fluid transport process is studied by the Lagrangian coherent structures. Two scaling relations that quantitatively connect the membrane deformation with the aerodynamic loads presented in our previous work are verified even when active jet flow control is applied. A unifying feedback loop that reveals the fluid–membrane coupling mechanism is proposed. These findings can facilitate the development of next-generation bio-inspired drones that incorporate smart sensing and intelligent control.