Flapping wings in line formation flight: a computational analysis
Type
ArticleAuthors
Ghommem, MehdiCalo, Victor M.

KAUST Department
Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) DivisionEarth Science and Engineering Program
Numerical Porous Media SRI Center (NumPor)
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division
Date
2014-05Online Publication Date
2016-01-27Embargo End Date
2014-11-01Submitted Date
2013-09-12Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/668154
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The current understanding of the aerodynamics of birds in formation flights is mostly based on field observations. The interpretation of these observations is usually made using simplified aerodynamic models. Here, we investigate the aerodynamic aspects of formation flights. We use a potential flow solver based on the unsteady vortex lattice method (UVLM) to simulate the flow over flapping wings flying in grouping arrangements and in proximity of each other. UVLM has the capability to capture unsteady effects associated with the wake. We demonstrate the importance of properly capturing these effects to assess aerodynamic performance of flapping wings in formation flight. Simulations show that flying in line formation at adequate spacing enables significant increase in the lift and thrust and reduces power consumption. This is mainly due to the interaction between the trailing birds and the previously-shed wake vorticity from the leading bird. Moreover, enlarging the group of birds flying in formation further improves the aerodynamic performance for each bird in the flock. Therefore, birds get significant benefit of such organised patterns to minimise power consumption while traveling over long distances without stop and feeding. This justifies formation flight as being beneficial for bird evolution without regard to potential social benefits, such as, visual and communication factors for group protection and predator evasion.Citation
Ghommem, M., & Calo, V. M. (2014). Flapping wings in line formation flight: a computational analysis. The Aeronautical Journal, 118(1203), 485–501. doi:10.1017/s0001924000009325Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)Journal
The Aeronautical JournalAdditional Links
https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0001924000009325/type/journal_articleae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1017/s0001924000009325