Basic understanding of the flow characteristics over a bio-inspired corrugated wing at low Reynolds Number (10’000) in gliding flight †

A computational fluid dynamics based study of a corrugated wing section inspired by the dragonfly wing has been performed for a low Reynolds number (10’000) focusing on the gliding flight. The aerodynamic characteristics are compared to those of a typical technical aerofoil (NACA 0009). The objective of the study is to develop a simulation tool for the design and development of corrugated wings for aerospace applications and to gain better understanding of the flow over corrugated wing sections. The simulation results were verified using a convergence study and validated by an angle of attack study and comparison with experimental results. The results demonstrated the simulations capability of predicting key flow features but there were some discrepancies from the experimental observations, mainly the prediction of the critical angle of attack. Overall, the simulation results demonstrated a comparable, if not better, aerodynamic performance compared to the technical aerofoil.