Aerodynamic insights from peregrine falcon flight using CFD: Applications in aircraft engineering

In this study, the aerodynamic characteristics of the peregrine falcon were analyzed using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method. The falcon model scaled 1:1, was designed in SolidWorks® for both gliding and diving scenarios. Ansys Fluent® was employed to determine the drag and lift coefficients of the bird model. Numerical analyses were conducted at four different flow rates with Reynolds numbers ranging from 753205 to 3012821. The average drag coefficient (CD) during diving was 0.00933, while the lift coefficient (CL) was 0.00428, resulting in a CD/CL ratio 2.18. The average drag coefficient was for gliding 0.0227, and the lift coefficient was 0.0165, with a reduced CD/CL ratio of 1.38. Additionally, the flow structure around the bird model was examined to identify regions where pressure-induced drag forces were significant. The study discusses potential applications for aircraft and passive flow control components inspired by the peregrine falcon’s superior aerodynamic features.