Aerodynamic Analysis of Manta Ray-Inspired Micro-air Vehicle Wing Planforms

This study examines the performance of a bio-inspired micro-air vehicle’s wing planforms at a low Reynolds number. The shape of the manta ray’s wing was extracted from the real image of a manta ray and a B-spline curve was generated. The Zimmerman planform was taken as the base for the model. Using Bezier curve, the planform was extended on the sides to create two models with differing curvatures which were named Manta A and Manta B. Numerical simulations were conducted using ANSYS FLUENT 15.0 at a Reynolds number of 1×10⁵, and the aerodynamic characteristics of the planforms were studied. It was clear from the results that the manta ray-inspired planforms provided better lift characteristics at all angles of attack between 0° and 20° when compared to the base Zimmerman planform. It can also be observed that both the manta planforms provide better C_L/C_D ratios by around 11–23% between angles of attack 10° and 20°.