Aerodynamics of bio-ispired wings with sinusoidal leading edge

In recent years, bio-inspired sinusoidal leading-edge wing geometries have attracted significant attention due to their potential as passive flow control devices. This design concept is inspired by the pectoral flippers of humpback whales, whose characteristic tubercles enable these large cetaceans to perform incredibly agile maneuvers. Previous studies have shown that leading-edge tubercles generate streamwise vortices that can delay flow separation and enhance aerodynamic performance depending on the wing geometry and operating conditions. The present work focuses on the implementation and aerodynamic analysis of sinusoidal leadingedge tubercles on single-element tapered wings based on the NACA 4412 airfoil. Three wing configurations are designed and tested: a baseline wing with a straight leading edge, a sinusoidal wing with constant amplitude and wavelength, and a sinusoidal wing with variable amplitude and constant wavelength. The main scope of the thesis is to investigate the effects of the variation of the leading edge amplitude along the span. The aerodynamic performance is analyzed both experimentally and numerically. Wind tunnel experiments are conducted in the L2000 low-speed atmospheric wind tunnel at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, where force measurements and flow visualization analysis through ProCap measurement system are performed. In parallel, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are carried out using Ansys Fluent. Experimental and numerical results are compared to provide a general characterization of the flow behavior and to highlight the main aerodynamic advantages offered by this innovative wing designs.