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Biomimetics
Special Issues
Bioinspired Flapping Wing Aerodynamics: Progress and Challenges: 2nd Edition
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Bioinspired Flapping Wing Aerodynamics: Progress and Challenges: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomimetic Design, Constructions and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2026) | Viewed by 1978

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hui Hu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Iowa State University, 2271 Howe Hall, Room 1200, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Interests: bioinspired aerodynamics; advanced flow diagnostics; experimental fluid mechanics and heat transfer aircraft/aeroengine icing and anti-/de-icing technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Qiang Zhong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, USA
Interests: unsteady fluid mechanics; bioinspired propulsion; robotics; energy harvesting; flow perception
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite the significant progress made in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over recent decades, these systems often lag behind natural flyers in terms of rapid maneuvers, hovering efficiency, obstacle avoidance, flow perception, and gust rejection. A substantial advancement in UAV development can be achieved by drawing inspiration from nature. Birds, insects, and other natural flyers have evolved over millions of years to achieve highly efficient, adaptable, and robust flight mechanisms, particularly excelling in unsteady aerodynamics, navigating complex flow environments, and leveraging natural flows. Understanding and translating these aerodynamic underlying principles into engineering designs will enhance the aerodynamic performance, efficiency, and versatility of UAVs. This Special Issue will gather pioneering and state-of-the-art research on bioinspired aerodynamics for UAVs, addressing both the advancements made and the challenges that remain.

Prof. Dr. Hui Hu
Dr. Qiang Zhong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • unsteady aerodynamics
  • flapping wing
  • bioinspired aerodynamics
  • bioinspired flow sensing
  • maneuverability
  • flow interaction
  • gust mitigation
  • complex flow navigation

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 25979 KB  
Article
Investigation of Three-Dimensional Flow Around a Model Samara Wing Depending on the Angle of Attack
by Neslihan Aydın, Ebubekir Beyazoglu and Irfan Karagoz
Biomimetics 2026, 11(5), 299; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics11050299 - 25 Apr 2026
Viewed by 777
Abstract
One of the engineering applications inspired by nature is bio-inspired wings. The aerodynamic properties and autorotation characteristics of samara wing models have been studied extensively using both experimental and numerical methods. However, the three-dimensional flow behavior and angle of attack interaction around a [...] Read more.
One of the engineering applications inspired by nature is bio-inspired wings. The aerodynamic properties and autorotation characteristics of samara wing models have been studied extensively using both experimental and numerical methods. However, the three-dimensional flow behavior and angle of attack interaction around a natural samara wing are not yet fully understood. This study investigates the flow behavior around a samara wing model, with the aim of underlying physics and qualitatively analyzing the flow field, as well as the aerodynamic forces and stresses. Since the samara wing and the flow around it are three-dimensional, the difficulty of experimental investigation was taken into account, and the numerical analysis was performed using Computational Fluid Dynamics techniques. The results obtained from the numerical solution of the governing equations for three-dimensional turbulent flow were verified with experimental data. The calculations were performed by varying the angle of attack of the model wing between 0 and 50 degrees at 10-degree intervals. Depending on the angle of attack, the velocity field around the wing, surface pressure, and stress distributions, vortex structures formed on the wing and streamlines were analyzed, and the results were presented. This study and its results on this model may lead to the development and optimization of the model and its use in turbines or air vehicles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Flapping Wing Aerodynamics: Progress and Challenges: 2nd Edition)
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27 pages, 17384 KB  
Article
Numerical Study into the Spanwise Effects for the Three-Dimensional Unsteady Flow over a Bio-Inspired Corrugated Infinite Wing at Low Reynolds Number
by Almajd Alhinai and Torsten Schenkel
Biomimetics 2026, 11(2), 90; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics11020090 - 27 Jan 2026
Viewed by 803
Abstract
Corrugated insect wings inspire biomimetic aerodynamic design, yet their behaviour at low and transitional Reynolds numbers remains not fully understood. This study presents a three-dimensional computational analysis of flow over an infinite corrugated wing across Reynolds numbers from 10 to 10,000 and angles [...] Read more.
Corrugated insect wings inspire biomimetic aerodynamic design, yet their behaviour at low and transitional Reynolds numbers remains not fully understood. This study presents a three-dimensional computational analysis of flow over an infinite corrugated wing across Reynolds numbers from 10 to 10,000 and angles of attack from −5 to 20°, with emphasis on spanwise effects. An expanded verification and validation procedure ensured numerical reliability. At the lowest Reynolds numbers, the flow is steady and largely two-dimensional, with localised recirculation zones. As Reynolds numbers or angles of attack increase, the flow transitions to periodic vortex shedding, and three-dimensional structures appear. At a Reynolds number of ten thousand, periodic shedding occurs at zero degrees incidence, indicating a shift toward turbulent or bluff body-like behaviour. The examined corrugated profile does not exhibit a lift-to-drag benefit over smooth aerofoils in steady gliding, although root section corrugation helps delay separation in transitional regimes. This behaviour reflects mechanisms used by dragonflies to maintain stable gliding despite textured wings. By extending flow regime classification, the study identifies conditions where two-dimensional assumptions fail and highlights the influence of spanwise flow structures. These findings deepen understanding of insect wing aerodynamics and support biomimetic design of future wings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Flapping Wing Aerodynamics: Progress and Challenges: 2nd Edition)
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