Abstract
A NACA0012 airfoil undergoing pitching and plunging motion at Reynolds number Re=40,000 was simulated using a 2D Navier Stokes flow solver. These results are compared to experimental measurements in the literature and those from an inviscid analytical method and an unsteady panel method code. While the peak in efficiency with Strouhal number demonstrated in the experimental results was predicted by the inviscid methods, it was found to be significantly modified by leading-edge vortex shedding and viscous drag at low Strouhal number. The occurrence and influence of vortex shedding decreased as Strouhal number increased, corresponding to increased flapping motion frequency.
