Dynamics of Flow Over a Rotating Wing During Cessation of Motion

The impressive flight capabilities of natural flyers have long fascinated humanity. Yet with aerodynamics varying significantly from larger man-made aircraft, the understanding necessary to construct analytical models describing their performance and manoeuvrability remains elusive. This thesis advances our knowledge of flapping wing flight on the scale of large insects to small birds with application to micro aerial vehicles through a study of flow dynamics towards the end of a stroke. This research is conducted through a combined experimental and computational program utilising simplified wing models, visualising the vortex fields associated with high performance and the resulting aerodynamic pressures and forces.