Study of the effect of leading-edge tubercles on the aerodynamics performance of an airfoil

Abstract

A bumpy anatomy characterizes the flippers of the humpback whales, basically described by its tubercle structures. Inspired by this, innovative airfoil designs have been introduced to enhance aerodynamic performance. In the present work, biomechanics of flippers from humpback whales were analyzed and applied to improve airfoil design in lift performance. This Thesis examines flow characteristics around an airfoil with leading-edge tubercles through a combination of computational fluid dynamics simulations. The results that were obtained show that airfoils with tubercles delayed the stall compared to conventional airfoils. Thus that applying some of the biomimetic features of flippers from humpback whales to an airfoil design may improve its aerodynamic performance, with possible applications in aeronautics, wind energy, and undersea vehicle propulsion.