25th Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, 3 - 8 September 2006, Hamburg, Germany
Paper ICAS 2006-3.10.4

FLAPPING-WING THRUST IN COMPRESSIBLE FLOW

W. Send
DLR, Germany

Keywords: compressible flow, unsteady aerodynamics, aerodynamic power

The phenomenon of thrust generation by a coupled bending and torsional motion is surveyed ranging from incompressible flow to the transonic region. 2D wing sections and 3D planforms are studied. The paper also touches on the question, whether flapping-wing thrust for larger airplanes is physically possible.

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