Wake Characteristics of a 2D Spanwise-tensioned Membrane with Aerodynamic Loading

摘要

This paper compares the wake characteristics for spanwise tensioned membranes with free and fixed leading and trailing edges. Membrane vibration was generated by placing the membrane, attached to two rigid plates, within an air flow and constraining the leading and trailing edges as well as interior spanwise locations, independently. The flow velocity in the wake of the membrane wing was measured using a hot-wire anemometer sensor placed downstream of the trailing edge. Silicon rubber membranes of different thicknesses were tested at varying angles-of-attack, applied tension and freestream velocity. The wake mean and rms velocity profiles are compared and analyzed. The power density spectra of the wake velocity fluctuation are also presented and discussed. The results show that the existence of leading-edge vibration, no matter the placement of the interior constraint, increased the wake size and created a less organized energy spectrum.