The humpback whale ~Megaptera novaeangliae is well known among the baleen whales in its
ability to perform acrobatic underwater maneuvers to catch prey. In order to do these
and turning maneuvers, humpback whales use extremely mobile flippers. The humpback whale
fin is unique because of the presence of bumps or tubercules on the leading
edge which gives this surface a frilly baroque scalloped appearance.
The addition of leading-edge tubercles to a scale model of an idealized humpback whale flipper
delays the stall angle by approximately 40%, while increasing lift and decreasing drag
Leading-edge tubercles delay stall on humpback whale „Megaptera novaeangliae… flippers
D. S. Miklosovic
http://pof.aip.org/phfle6/v16/i5/pl39_s1?isAuthorized=no
In sum, we find a 4.8% increase in lift, a 10.9% reduction in induced drag, and a
17.6% increase in lift to drag ratio when compared with the wing shown in Fig. 1.
From:
THE INFLUENCE OF PASSIVE, LEADING EDGE
TUBERCLES ON WING PERFORMANCE
P. Watts
Applied Fluids Engineering, Inc.
Private Mail Box #237, 5710 E. 7th Street, Long Beach, CA, 90803
phil.watts@appliedfluids.com
F. E. Fish
West Chester University
Department of Biology, West Chester, PA,
