A study revealed that the secret of silent owls' flight lies in their wings

the Owls They can Fly silently Through some quieter places. Their wings make no noise, allowing them to precisely locate their prey using their exceptional hearing ability without being detected. Although several studies have linked… Small fringe of wings The exact mechanisms of how these birds fly were not clear.

Experts warned that this unique ability depends on many factors, and has been the subject of research for a long time without reaching correct conclusions. I found studies related to Between the ability to fly silently and being present Small margin On the wings of owls.

Now a team of researchers has discovered Effects Who is this Microscopic lines On the acoustic and aerodynamic performance of owl wings using computational fluid dynamics simulations. Their findings may inspire biomimetic designs to develop silent fluid machines.

We are The trailing edge lines play a crucial role in noise suppression Resulting from the movement of air resulting from the flapping of the wing. Although several studies have evaluated them using flat flaps and winglets, their exact mechanisms and effects on feather interactions and different eagle owl wing properties are unknown.

To reveal the secrets of the wings of silent owls, a team of specialists… Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, JapanResearched how stripes affect the sound and aerodynamic performance of owl wings.

For professionals, understand the exact role of Natural airfoils On her silent journey she will allow her way of developing fluid machines under the policy of generating silent practice. The task force's findings were published in the journal Bioinspiration and biomimicry.

“Despite the efforts of many researchers, how owls achieve silent flight remains an open question. Understanding the precise role of TE lines in their silent flight will allow us to apply them in the development of practical fluid machines,” Professor Hao Liu said in a press release from the centre. And the silent ones.” Japanese University.

He added: “Our results prove Effect of complex interactions between TE lines and different wing propertiesHighlighting the suitability of using these strips to reduce noise in practical applications such as drones, wind turbines, propellers, and even flying cars.

To understand how owl flights work, the team built… Two 3D models of a real animal wing, one with fringes and one without fringes, but both with all their geometric features. The specialists then used these models to perform fluid flow simulations that combined large eddy simulation methods. Simulations were performed at close to the flight speed of an eagle owl.

Simulations revealed this The stripes reduced the noise levels of the owl's wings, especially at high angles of attack, and maintained an aerodynamic performance comparable to that of a bird's wings without them. The team identified two complementary mechanisms through which lines affect airflow.

First, his presence Reduces fluctuations in airflow By detuning the trailing edge vortices. In second place, Reducing flow interactions between the feathers at the wing tips, thus suppressing the formation of vortices in them. Through synergy, these mechanisms enhance the line effects, resulting in improved downforce production and reduced noise.

Emphasizing the importance of these results, the specialists suggested that their results demonstrate the effect of complex interactions between lines on bird wings and the various properties they possess, which highlights the validity of their use to reduce noise in practical applications such as drones, wind turbines, propellers, and even flying cars in the future.

Overall, this study deepens understanding of the role of lines in silent owl flight and may inspire biomimetic designs that could lead to the development of low-noise fluid machines.

* the doctor Hao Liu He is a corresponding author, a professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, and directs the Center for Intelligent Aerial Vehicles at Chiba University, Japan. The information in this journal article is taken from a paper called “Trailing edge lines allow solid aerodynamic force production and noise suppression in an owl wing model,” published in Bioinspiration and biomimicryThey are also the authors of: Jiaxin Rong (first author), Yajun Jiang, Yuta Murayama, Ryoto Ishibashi, and Masashi Murakami. In addition, the press release issued by Chiba University.