Oscillating foil energy harvesters are analyzed at optimal reduced frequencies (𝑘=𝑓𝑐/𝑈) to determine how the leading edge radius of curvature affects leading edge separation. The understanding of leading edge separation and its behaviors is critical to predicting the transient lift profile of an airfoil. The separation is therefore also critical...
The energy harvesting performance of oscillating airfoils is studied using a discrete vortex model (DVM) with a leading-edge separation criterion. The airfoil undergoes a combined sinusoidal heaving and pitching motion at reduced frequencies of k = 0.06 − 0.16, with heaving amplitude of h0 = 0.5c, and pitching amplitude of...
Hydrogels have been attractive for use as a medium in porous flow studies,
but have always been limited in this role because of their poor mechanical properties.
This project analyzes and tests two recently developed hydrogels,
poly(methacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) (PMM), and a heat-treated long chain
PVA hydrogel. Particle image velocimetry (PIV)...