The objective of this Lecture Series, sponsored by the NATO Research and Technology organization (RTO) Advanced Vehicle Technology (AVT) Panel is provide a comprehensive set of presentations by leading experts on the subject of low Reynolds number viscous flows with application to Miniaturized Unmanned Air Vehicles.

After a general introduction to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), with examples of research activities, the course will first deal with fixed wing UAV, then with flapping wing Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAV).

Design of airfoils for operation at low Reynolds number will be discussed, taking into account presence and control of Laminar Separation Bubbles, as well as laminar-turbulent transition mechanisms, both from the phenomenological as well as modelling stand-points. Examples of experimental investigations and of numerical predictions will be given. The aerodynamics of flapping wings will then be discussed, for application to MAV, which invariably use some type of moving or flapping surfaces to generated appropriate lift, where one has to deal with complex unsteady flows, including unsteady laminar separation bubbles. Different approaches to modelling of insect-like flapping wings will be described, and examples of application given.

08.45 Registration

09.00 Welcome address

Prof. M. Carbonaro, Director, von Karman Institute

09.30 General introduction to UAVs

Prof. Dr R. Decuypere, Royal Military Academy, Belgium

14.00 UAV activities at RMA

Prof. Dr R. Decuypere

15.45 Low Reynolds number airfoil design

Prof. Michael S. Selig, U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

17.00 Welcome Reception

Tuesday 25 November 2003

09.00 Use of numerical schemes for transition prediction

Prof. M. Khalid, Institute for Aerospace Research, Ottawa, Canada

10.45 Instability and transition mechanisms in laminar separation bubbles

Prof. Dr Ulrich Rist, U. Stuttgart, Germany

13.30 Instability and transition mechanisms in laminar separation bubbles (Continued)

Prof. Dr Ulrich Rist

14.25 Control of laminar separation bubbles

Prof. Dr Ulrich Rist

15.55 Numerical simulation of laminar separation bubbles

Prof. Dr R. Radespeil, Technical U. of Braunschweig, Germany

Wednesday 26 November 2003

09.00 Experimental investigation of airfoil at low Reynolds using optical techniques

Dr-Ing. Ch. Kaehler, RWTH Aachen, Germany

10.45 Use of CFD methods on unsteady aerodynamics at low Reynolds numbers

Prof. M. Khalid

13.30 Visit to VKI Labs

14.00 Introduction to flapping wxing MAVs

Dr r. Zbikowski, Cranfield University, UK

15.45 Aerodynamic modeling of insect-like flapping wings in hover. Part 1: Indicial-Polhamus approach

Dr R. Zbikowski

Thursday 27 November 2003

09.00 Aerodynamic modeling of insect-like flapping wings in hover. Part 2: McCune-Lam-Tavares approach

Dr R. Zbikowski

10.45 Beyond biologically-inspired insect flight

Prof. R.C. Michelson, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA

13.30 Extraterrestrial flight (Entomopter-based Mars surveyor)

Prof. R.C. Michelson

15.55 The aerodynamics of flapping-wing micro-aerial vehicles

Prof. M.F. PLatzer, Naval Postgraduate School, Montereu, USA

Friday 28 November 2003

09.00 The aerodynamics of flapping-wing micro-aerial vehicles (Continued)

Prof. M.F. PLatzer, Naval Postgraduate School, Montereu, USA

12.00 Concluding Remarks

14.00 BUs leaves VKI

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