Simulation of flow past a wing inspired by flying snakes

Wings of airplanes, ornithopters and micro-aerial vehicles were inspired by the wings of birds and insects. A flying snake found in South and South-East Asia converts its entire body into a morphing wing which aids it to glide very efficiently. The aerodynamics of this species of snake is not well understood. Two dimensional computational and experimental studies of the snake´s rather unusual cross-section have been done in earlier works. A three dimensional simulation of the flow over a wing inspired by the snake´s body geometry is solved in the current work using steady laminar assumptions. Solutions were obtained from an angle of attack of 0 to 55 degrees in steps of 5 degrees. Interesting features like wake interaction with downstream sections and complex vortex shapes come to light. At low angles of attack, transverse flows reduce the strength of the wake leaving the wing. Gentle stall characteristics with a high stall angle and almost linear increase in drag with angle of attack are noticed. Bending of streamlines indicative of high lift production are clearly visualized at the maximum lift condition.