Tristan Aurégan, Sylvain Courrech du Pont, Benjamin Thiria
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
We investigate experimentally the propulsive efficiency of a propeller in water with chordwise flexible blades that deform under the action of fluid loading. Using a scale model experiment, we record the deformation of the blades as well as the thrust and torque generated by the rotor. The use of flexible materials can improve the resilience to changing external conditions: with optimal flexibility, the blades deform and remain efficient under off-design conditions. We derive a theoretical law for blade tip deformation and show good agreement with experiments. Our results suggest that, using only the blade flexibility alone, we are able to program the blade deformation to passively adopt an optimized shape for efficient propulsion within a given parameter range.
期刊介绍:
Physical Review Fluids is APS’s newest online-only journal dedicated to publishing innovative research that will significantly advance the fundamental understanding of fluid dynamics. Physical Review Fluids expands the scope of the APS journals to include additional areas of fluid dynamics research, complements the existing Physical Review collection, and maintains the same quality and reputation that authors and subscribers expect from APS. The journal is published with the endorsement of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics.