We present a steady jet flow-based flow control of flexible membrane wings
for an adaptive and efficient motion of bat-inspired drones in complex flight
environments. A body-fitted variational computational aeroelastic framework is
adopted for the modeling of fluid-structure interactions. High-momentum jet
flows are injected from the leading edge and transported to the wake flows to
alter the aerodynamic performance and the membrane vibration. The phase
diagrams of the coupled fluid-membrane dynamics are constructed in the
parameter space of the angle of attack and the jet momentum coefficient. The
coupled dynamical effect of active jet flow control on the membrane performance
is systematically explored. While the results indicate that the current active
flow control strategy performs well at low angles of attack, the effectiveness
degrades at high angles of attack with large flow separation. To understand the
coupling mechanism, the variations of the vortex patterns at different jet
momentum coefficients are examined by the proper orthogonal decomposition modes
in the Eulerian view and the fluid transport process is studied by the coherent
flow structures in the Lagrange description. Two scaling relations that
quantitatively connect the membrane deformation with the aerodynamic loads
presented in our previous work are verified even when active jet flow control
is applied. A unifying feedback loop that reveals the fluid-membrane coupling
mechanism is proposed. This feedback loop provides useful guidance for
designing optimal active flow control strategies and enhancing flight
capabilities. These findings can facilitate the development of next-generation
bio-inspired drones that incorporate smart sensing and intelligent control