Flexible flapping airfoil propulsion at low Reynolds numbers

Water tunnel experiments on chordwise-flexible airfoils heaving with constant amplitude have been carried out for Reynolds numbers of 9,000 to 27,000. A degree of flexibility was found to increase both thrust coefficient and propulsive efficiency. Measurements of the flow field revealed stronger trailing-edge vortices corresponding to higher thrust coefficients, and weaker leading-edge vortices corresponding to higher efficiencies. By analogy with a rigid airfoil in coupled heave and pitch, thrust coefficient and propulsive efficiency were found to be functions of the Strouhal number and pitch phase angle. Propulsive efficiency peaks at a pitch phase angle of 95-100 deg (consistent with experimental and computational simulations of rigid airfoils in coupled heave and pitch), and a Strouhal number of 0.29, which lies in the middle of the range observed in nature. Thrust peaks at pitch phase angles in the region of 110-120 deg, but at higher Strouhal numbers. The results suggest the effect of chordwise flexibility is beneficial for purely heaving airfoils at low Reynolds numbers.