Aeroelasticity and unsteady aerodynamics at low reynolds numbers

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The discipline of aeroelasticity is concerned with the interaction of a flexible structure and its surrounding fluid. The flow around a structure will induce forces on it. If this structure is flexible, it will deform and subsequently modify the flow, and so on until some type of equilibrium state is achieved. A typical example is the vibrations of an aircraft wing as it enters a region of atmospheric turbulence. Many aspects of these aeroelastic motions are well known. Many others are, however, still problematic. For instance, sustained oscillations of a wing can occur, sometimes without any apparent external cause. This is very similar to the fluttering motion of venitian blinds when a gust of wind occurs through a window. Flying insects and birds are also experiencing fluid-elastic interactions due to their flexible wings. However and contrary to most human designs, these interactions often have a positive impact on the ability of the animal to fly. This research aims at understanding these fluid-elastic interactions phenomena via simple but representative models. It focuses on low airspeed flight regimes, which are well suited to unmanned air vehicles (UAV) and larger and very flexible high altitude long endurance (HALE) aircraft.