Numerical investigation of geometrical corrugation influence to vortex flowfields at low Reynolds number

Abstract

Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) are often utilized for the disaster spot, ecosystem observation and topography investigation these days. Because the full length of the body is centimeter scale, the Reynolds number of MAV becomes low (10-10). A laminar separation bubble is formed in low Reynolds number unlike a high Reynolds number domain because the viscous term becomes dominant. Numerical and experimental analysis of high performance airfoils in low Reynolds number flow is proposed (M. Anyoji et al., 2014). In low Reynolds number flows, flat plate or thin wings have better aerodynamic performance compared to thick streamlined airfoils. However, there are still many problems with related to the aerodynamic performance. For example, batteries tend to be heavy and the thrust is not sufficient in low Reynolds number. These results would be useful in designing low Reynolds number aircraft such as micro-air vehicles. For example, an insect-sized MAV was proposed by (Wood et al., 2012) and (Kroo and Kunz., 2001).