Aerodynamic Comparison of Bird-Inspired Wings Using a DIY Wind Tunnel

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore how different bird wing shapes affect lift and drag in a small wind tunnel experiment. I tested three 3D-printed wing models based on the eagle, hawk, and albatross at three fan speeds (low, medium, high) and three angles of attack (0°, 5°, 15°). Five trials were taken for each condition to calculate average lift and drag. The results showed that the eagle wing created the most lift but also the highest drag, the hawk wing was very responsive to angle of attack with moderate drag, and the albatross wing produced the least lift but also the lowest drag. These findings match what is seen in nature13: eagles are powerful soarers, hawks are agile hunters, and albatrosses are efficient long-distance gliders. The purpose of this paper is also to show how aeronautical engineers might study which shapes make the best airfoils in order to construct objects that can fly more effectively. This experiment demonstrates how ideas from nature can connect to real engineering problems.