CFD Simulation and Experimental Analysis of the Dorsal Feather Behavior of a Peregrine Falcon Through Machine-Vision for Efficient Wind Turbine Design

Bio-inspired design spans various engineering disciplines, leveraging the characteristics of animal or plant species to enhance the efficiency or lifespan of existing systems. Previous studies have replicated the properties of whale fins in devices like propellers, leading to significant advancements in maritime navigation systems. This study presents an experimental method and a numerical analysis to investigate the stabilizing dorsal feather of a peregrine falcon during flight, using a wind tunnel and 3D CFD simulations. The simulation results reveal velocity and surface pressure contours associated with the wind wake generated by the feather, as well as changes in wind tunnel velocity. High-speed video detection algorithms are applied to analyze the feather’s various tilt angles and oscillations in the wind tunnel. Measurements obtained from sensors, including a 3D accelerometer and a hot-wire anemometer, reveal differences in the spectral components of the wind wake velocity under varying wind tunnel velocities. The feather induces increased fluctuations in these spectral components, as captured by the hot-wire sensor. This phenomenon holds potential applications in turbulence compensation systems, such as those used in wind turbine blades.