Wing in heaving oscillatory motion

A wing in steady flight near a wavy surface, such as in the case of a large, transoceanic wingship, is simulated by a wing oscillating in heave near a flat surface. In accord with the wingship, small AR and slight camber are considered. In the present study, consideration is limited to the case when the wavelength of the surface is much greater than the chord of the wing and the slope of the surface is much less than unity. The numerical simulation predicts that the mean aerodynamic loads on a wing executing a simple-harmoni c heaving motion are higher than the corresponding loads on the same wing in steady flight at the mean height and the same angle of attack. These preliminary results suggest that it would be beneficial to fly near the waves and that doing so would improve the aerodynamic efficiency. Also included in the present results are numerical simulations of the wakes that show the strong influences of the ground and the oscillations on their behavior.