Fluid-structure interaction of a bio-inspired passively deployable flap for lift enhancement

Birds have a remarkable ability to perform complex maneuvers at post-stall angles of attack. The passive deployment of self-actuating covert feathers in response to unsteady flow separation while performing such maneuvers provides a passive flow control paradigm for these aerodynamic capabilities. Most studies involving covert-feathers-inspired passive flow control have modeled the feathers as a rigidly attached or a freely moving flap on a wing. A flap mounted via a torsional spring enables a configuration more emblematic of the finite stiffness associated with the covert-feather dynamics. The performance benefits and flow physics associated with this more general case remain largely unexplored. In this work, we model covert feathers as a passively deployable, torsionally hinged flap on the suction surface of a stationary airfoil. We numerically investigate this airfoil-flap system at a low Reynolds number of \(Re=1{,}000\) and angle of attack of \(20^\circ\) by performing high-fidelity nonlinear simulations using a projection-based immersed boundary method. A parametric study performed by varying the stiffness of the spring, mass of the flap and location of the hinge yielded lift improvements as high as 27% relative to the baseline flap-less case and revealed two dominant flow behavioral regimes. A detailed analysis revealed that the stiffness-dependent mean flap deflection and inertia-dependent amplitude and phase of flap oscillations altered the dominant flow characteristics in both the regimes. Of special interest for performance benefits were the flap parameters that enhanced the lift-conducive leading-edge vortex while weakening the trailing-edge vortex and associated detrimental effect of upstream propagation of reverse flow. These parameters also yielded a favorable temporal synchronization of flap oscillations with the vortex-shedding process in both regimes.