ArticleFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology2021
Flexible Flaps Inspired by Avian Feathers Can Enhance Aerodynamic Robustness in low Reynolds Number Airfoils.
Article in Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- A Comprehensive Review of Bio-Inspired Surface and Morphological Structures for Enhancing Aerodynamic and Hydrodynamic Performances: Trends, Mechanisms, and Future Horizons.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Design of Knitted Fabrics with Biomimetic Bird Feather Hierarchical Structures for Thermal and Moisture Adaptation in Outdoor Environments for the Elderly.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Aeroelastic flaps for dynamic airway stabilization: a novel approach to respiratory support.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Article
- Wing extension-flexion coupled aeroelastic effects improve avian gliding performance.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2025Article
- Kinematics and Aerodynamics of Dragonflies (Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
Unlike rigid rotors of drones, bird wings are composed of flexible feathers that can passively deform while achieving remarkable aerodynamic robustness in response to wind gusts. In this study, we conduct an experimental study on the effects of the flexible flaps inspired by the covert of bird wings on aerodynamic characteristics of fixed-wings in disturbances. Through force measurements and flow visualization in a low-speed wind tunnel, it is found that the flexible flaps can suppress the large-scale vortex shedding and hence reduce the fluctuations of aerodynamic forces in a disturbed flow behind an oscillating plate. Our results demonstrate that the stiffness of the flaps strongly affects the aerodynamic performance, and the force fluctuations are observed to be reduced when the deformation synchronizes with the strong vortex generation. The results point out that the simple attachment of the flexible flaps on the upper surface of the wing is an effective method, providing a novel biomimetic design to improve the aerodynamic robustness of small-scale drones with fixed-wings operating in unpredictable aerial environments.
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