A study on a flexible wing with up–down vibration in a pulsating flow of cooling air to improve heat transfer efficiency

We investigated a flexible wing that can function as a folding fan by vibrating smoothly on a heated surface, and the effects of this vibration on heat transfer. For flexible up–down vibrations of the wing in a pulsating flow, we propose a novel milli-scale flexible wing shape with a relatively large body and a narrow connecting leg. The shape was optimized such that its deformation became much larger at a low air flow. We performed two-way fluid–structure interaction analyses to predict performance, and an experimental validation was also conducted. The details of flow, heat transfer, and structural deformation are summarized qualitatively. Our results show that the heat transfer coefficient of a heated surface with a single flexible wing was approximately 11.3 % greater than that of a flat plate.