Minimally low order vortex modeling of bio-inspired locomotory flows

Abstract eng:
A novel vortex model is presented for the unsteady flows developed in biological or biologically-inspired locomotion at moderate to high Reynolds number. The model preserves, with a minimal number of degrees of freedom, the essential physics of sustained vortex shedding in such flows. The fluid dynamics are modeled with a hybrid of a vortex sheet and variable-strength point vortices. While the vortex sheet is allowed to undergo the instability dynamics inherent to a wake or separated flow, its length is strategically limited by continuously siphoning its strength into a point vortex. The overall number of degrees of freedom is thereby kept orders of magnitude smaller than in a full vortex sheet solution, and much smaller still than in a high-fidelity simulation, while still capturing the physics of sustained vortex shedding. The model’s accuracy is assessed with representative problems, including impulsive start of a wing at very high angle of attack.

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