Nonlinear Characteristics of Low-speed Flow Induced Vibration for the Safety Design of Micro Air Vehicle

The fluid induced vibration (FIV) phenomena of an equivalent airfoil system of MAV have been investigated in low Reynolds number flow region. Unsteady flows with viscosity are computed using two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The present fluid/structure interaction analysis is based on one of the most accurate computational approach with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational structural dynamics (CSD) techniques. The highly nonlinear fluid/structure interaction phenomena due to severe flow separations have been analyzed for the low Reynolds region that has a dominancy of flow viscosity. The effects of Reynolds number and initial angle of attack on the fluid/structure coupled vibration instability are shown and the qualitative trend of FIV phenomenon is investigated.