Micro Air Vehicle Aerodynamics Simulation

This project focuses on studying the aerodynamics and aeroelastic behavior of a bio-inspired Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) with a flexible flapping wing.
The main goal is to understand how proximity to a wall or ground surface affects the passive deformation of the wing and the resulting aerodynamic forces such as lift and drag.
The simulation must be a fully coupled, 2-way Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) analysis in ANSYS Fluent + ANSYS Mechanical, where the wing flexibility and deformation are solved as part of the FSI process, not prescribed manually.
Simulation Requirements:
Type: 2D, Transient, Two-Way Coupled FSI
Objective: Study effect of wall proximity on wing deformation and aerodynamic performance
Flow Condition: Quiescent (still) or very low-speed air (U < 1 m/s)
Geometry: NACA 4412 Modified airfoil
Software: ANSYS Fluent (CFD), ANSYS Mechanical (Structure), System Coupling
Mesh: Dynamic meshing capable of handling large flapping motion and deformation (preferably Overset/Chimera mesh)
Model Setup Details:
1. Geometry and Domain
2D model of a flexible wing using NACA 4412 Mod. airfoil
Internal structure defined as an elastic beam or shell in ANSYS Mechanical
Surrounding fluid domain large enough to prevent boundary interference
Include a stationary wall to represent ground or interior proximity
Run simulations for several different wall distances (parametric study)
2. Fluid (CFD) Setup
Solver: Pressure-based, Transient, Incompressible flow
Model: Navier–Stokes equations
Flow: Quiescent or low-speed air
Turbulence: To be justified based on Reynolds number (SST k-ω or Laminar)
3. Structural (CSM) Setup
Elastic structure with given material properties (Young’s modulus, density, etc.)
Receives pressure and shear forces from Fluent
Returns updated deformation back to Fluent at each time step
4. Wing Motion and Coupling
Wing root motion defined using UDF (C language):
Flapping: ϕ(t) = ϕₘₐₓ sin(2πft)
Pitching: η(t) = ηₘₐₓ sin(2πft + ψ)
FSI coupling through ANSYS System Coupling for data exchange between solvers
Passive deformation due to aerodynamic loads is fully resolved
5. Dynamic Meshing
Required due to large flapping motion and deformation
Overset/Chimera mesh recommended or a robust remeshing/layering method
Must prevent mesh distortion or solver divergence
Expected Outputs:
Converged 2D FSI simulations for 3–5 different wall distances
Time histories of lift (CL) and drag (CD) for at least 10 flapping cycles
Time-averaged lift and drag coefficients vs wall proximity distance
Animation files showing:
Wing deformation
Velocity and pressure contours
Technical summary report describing:
Simulation setup and meshing strategy
Boundary conditions and modeling assumptions
Justification for turbulence/laminar model
Key aerodynamic observations and trends
Technical Focus Areas:
Two-way FSI using ANSYS Fluent + Mechanical + System Coupling
Dynamic meshing for large motion FSI (Overset preferred)
UDF scripting for flapping and pitching control
Low-Reynolds-number flapping aerodynamics
Effect of solid boundary proximity on MAV wing behavior