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The aerodynamics of hovering insect flight. IV. Aerodynamic mechanisms

Ellington, Charles Porter·1984·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences
DOI 10.1098/rstb.1984.0052
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Abstract

Theoretical considerations and available experimental studies are combined for a discussion on the aerodynamic mechanisms of lift generation in hovering animal flight. A comparison of steady-state thin-aerofoil theory with measured lift coefficients reveals that leading edge separation bubbles are likely to be a prominent feature in insect flight. Insect wings show a gradual stall that is characteristic for thin profiles at Reynolds numbers (Re) less than about 105. In this type of stall, flow separates at the sharp leading edge and then re-attaches downstream to the upper wing surface, producing a region of limited separation enclosing a recirculating flow. The resulting leading edge bubble enhances the camber and thickness of the thin profile, improving lift at low Re. Some of the results for bird wing profiles indicate that the complications of leading edge bubbles might even be found in the fast forward flight of birds.

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Research works printed but not linked: 47

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Metadata

Authors
Ellington, C. P.
Venue
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences
Publisher
The Royal Society
Published
1984-02-24
Volume
305
Issue
1122
Pages
79-113
ISSN
  • 0080-4622 (ISSN-L)
  • 2054-0280
DOI
10.1098/rstb.1984.0052
OpenAlex
W2021495108
Cited by
535
References
0
FWCI
5.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ (tdm)

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Ellington, C. P. (1984). The aerodynamics of hovering insect flight. IV. Aerodynamic mechanisms. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1984.0052

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