From Owl Flight to Future Wing Design

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Noise reduction of airplanes, especially during the landing phase and in high lift configuration, is one of the major goals of future wing design. Since the barn owl is very well known for its silent flight, an understanding of the mechanisms underlying noise reduction of the barn owl s wing and applying them to new wing configurations could help to reach this goal. Since a detailed investigation of the flow field generated by an owl s wing is missing, the objective of this joint project of the Institute for Biology If and the Institute of Aerodynamics is to figure out the physical mechanisms that determine the owl s low drag and silent flight. The Institute for Biology II will use microscopic techniques to document the specific features of the owls wings and feathers influencing the flow field. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the feathers will be determined. Using these data the Institute of Aerodynamics will manufacture a variety of artificial barn owl wings with and without flow influencing devices. Velocity measurements based on high-speed high resolution particle-image velocimetry will be carried out to determine the impact of the specific owl structures on the overall flow field. In a joint biological and fluid mechanical effort the basic aerodynamic characteristics and the fluid mechanical details that define the drag and noise reduction mechanisms of owl wings, will be investigated.