Abstract

Organismal emulation techniques integrated in engineering design applications have recently gained popularity, having proven more efficient than conventional design techniques. These bionic techniques have proven to lead significant fuel consumption and harmful emission reductions over the years. This paper tested a unique approach using biomimicry, where the supercritical airfoil of choice (SC(2)-0714) was augmented inspired by the great white shark to obtain two airfoil profiles named, Profile 1 (P1) and Profile 2 (P2), which were then tested and analyzed for aerodynamic performance using computational fluid dynamics ran for three angles of attack, -6°, 0°, and 6°. A comparative approach was adopted in the analysis of the results based on the aerodynamic drag, lift, and visual flow models generated using the CFD tool. The design intent was met with an optimized aerodynamic performance of the bionic airfoils, specifically P2, leading lift results with an average of 16.83% compared to the standard supercritical airfoil. Drag results however favored the standard supercritical airfoil, with an observation of 33.9% average compared to the P2 airfoil that led lift results. An individual performance analysis using the lift-to-drag ratios showed that further research must focus on integrating drag reduction approaches to the biomimetic airfoils to enhance their overall aerodynamic performance. Finetuned results are promising applications in the aeronautic industry on aircraft wing design and manufacturing, and the energy sector for the design and manufacturing of wind turbine blades.