Eventos Anais de eventos
ENCIT 2016
16th Brazilian Congress of Thermal Sciences and Engineering
The Influence of the Cranial Crest and the Mandible on the Aerodynamics and Flight Biomechanics of a Brazilian Pterosaur
Submission Author:
Felipe Lopes Menezes dos Reis , RJ , Brazil
Co-Authors:
Juliana Loureiro, Daniel Onofre Almeida Cruz, Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner, Rodrigo Pêgas
Presenter: Felipe Lopes Menezes dos Reis
doi://10.26678/ABCM.ENCIT2016.CIT2016-0449
Abstract
This project was developed in partnership with the Museu Nacional (UFRJ) and has two main goals: to evaluate whether the brazilian pterosaur Thalassodromeus sethi was able to skim-feed and to understand what would be the biomechanical function of its prominent cranial crest. The Museum gave this research unlimited access to some materials from its collection, which were then digitized and numerically simulated in Ansys CFX. The simulations were performed with the mandibles immersed in water and with the crest flying in the air at various speeds and angles. The results showed that the jaws had low hydrodynamic drag coefficients and that the skimming technique would be less energetically costly for the bird Rynchops niger than previously thought. The simulations with the crest indicated that it was able to generate high torques and lateral forces, suggesting that this feature may have acted as a rudder. Besides, a mathematical model was developed to estimate the mass and the power curve of the pterosaur using exclusively aerodynamic arguments. The calculated mass of T. sethi was 12,1kg and its power curve not only indicated that the creature was able to fly, but that it could also feed by skimming from an energetic point of view.
Keywords
Numerical simulation, External flow, Aerodynamics, Fossils, Pterosaurs, biomechanics, Numerical simulation, External flow, Aerodynamics, Fossils, Pterosaurs, biomechanics
