Observations of maneuvering humpback whales have revealed unique hydrodynamic performance hypothesized to be a result of tubercles on the leading-edge of the whales' pectoral flippers. Inspired by this biological observation, it is shown sinusoidal leading-edge wings prevent the dramatic loss of lift caused by stall and instead generate a gradual decrease of lift with as much as 25% higher lift in the poststall regmine. Six different wing geometries, smooth and sinusoidal leading-edge models, swept and unswept configurations, were tested at angles of attack of -2 to 24 degrees at Reynolds numbers between 100,000-500,000. Oil surface flow visualization reveals variations in flow phenomena between the smooth and sinusoidal leading-edge configurations.
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