The fluid-structure coupling process of a plunging rigid airfoil with a thin elastic plate attached at the trailing-edge is simulated numerically by using unsteady potential flow source/vortex panel method and the Euler-Bernoulli beam vibration differential equation. The flow characteristics, the unsteady aerodynamic loads, especially the thrust effects of the plunging motion are computed. The beam vibration differential equation for the elastic deformation motion of the attached trailing-edge plate is solved by finite difference method and the simulation of fluid-structure interaction process is conducted by a loose coupling iterative method. The analysis of the computed unsteady aerodynamic forces (e.g., lift and thrust), the propulsion efficiency and the shed vortices in the wake reveals that a proper elasticity of the thin elastic plate attached will lead to an optimum thrust for the airfoil.
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