Numerical investigation of the flow-body interaction of thin flexible foils and ambient flow

Flow-induced flapping of flexible thin bodies is oft observed in our day-to-day lives in phenomena such as flag flapping, and is important in a host of engineering applications. Despite its prevalence, however, this fundamental problem of fluid-structure interaction is not very well understood. Use of flexible control surfaces in ocean vehicles holds promise for achieving the efficiencies and maneuverability of waterborne animals, but requires an understanding of the natural responses of flexible foils and the associated physics. Likewise, industrial applications such as the handling of flexible textiles and paper benefit from improved understanding of the relationship between the system parameters and the anticipated response of the body. The present work furthers the understanding of the passive flapping problem through the development and application of a nonlinear computational simulation capability. Examining the flapping problem over a wide range of system parameters and responses indicates the influences and trends of the system behavior, and allows investigation of relevant physical mechanisms in the fluid-structure interaction.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Connell, Benjamin S. H

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Dick K.P. Yue.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/35706

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/35706