Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 054502 (2008) [4 pages]How Bumps on Whale Flippers Delay Stall: An Aerodynamic ModelReceived 20 June 2007; published 7 February 2008 Wind tunnel experiments have shown that bumps on the leading edge of model humpback whale flippers cause them to “stall” (i.e., lose lift dramatically) more gradually and at a higher angle of attack. Here we develop an aerodynamic model which explains the observed increase in stall angle. The model predicts that as the amplitude of the bumps is increased, the lift curve flattens out, leading to potentially desirable control properties. We find that stall delay is insensitive to the wavelength of the bumps, in accordance with experimental observations. © 2008 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.054502
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.054502
PACS:
47.85.Gj, 47.50.Cd, 47.63.M−
See AlsoComment: Guang-Hua Zhu, Comment on “How Bumps on Whale Flippers Delay Stall: An Aerodynamic Model”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 109401 (2008). Reply: Ernst A. van Nierop, Silas Alben, and Michael P. Brenner, van Nierop, Alben, and Brenner Reply:, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 109402 (2008). |
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