Term of Award

Spring 2025

Degree Name

Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Committee Chair

Shaowen Xu

Committee Member 1

Marcel Ilie

Committee Member 2

Prakashbhai Bhoi

Abstract

This study investigates the aerodynamic effects of a bio-inspired airfoil design based on the microstructure of a secondary feather from a female wood duck. The research hypothesized that incorporating barbs and barbules into an airfoil design would modify boundary layer behavior by introducing localized flow disturbances. To test this, a bio-inspired airfoil was developed by integrating the microstructure into a NACA 0012 airfoil and analyzed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations at angles of attack of 0°, 5°, 10°, and 15°. The results showed that the bio-inspired airfoil influenced boundary layer behavior, producing localized flow disturbances near x/c = 0.7 - 0.8. However, these modifications did not lead to an overall improvement in aerodynamic efficiency, as the NACA 0012 outperformed the bio-inspired airfoil in lift-to-drag ratio across all tested angles of attack. Despite the lack of efficiency gains, this study provides valuable insights into passive flow control mechanisms and the impact of microstructural modifications on airfoil behavior. Future research should focus on optimizing the microstructure design, exploring alternative configurations, and conducting experimental validation through wind tunnel testing to further investigate potential aerodynamic benefits.

INDEX WORDS: Bio-inspired, Airfoil, Microstructure, Aerodynamic efficiency, Feather, Bird

OCLC Number

1520625819

Research Data and Supplementary Material

Yes

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