Influences of Biomimetic Leading-Edge Tubercles on Performance of Marine and Aircraft Devices: A Review

A wide requirement exists for innovation that promotes the optimum performance of devices. Some innovations that have high efficiency in achieving certain performance can promote system feasibility, cost reliability and environmental sustainability. The propeller and turbine blade can enhance their blade efficiency by increasing lift. Recent research has considered the biomimetic design of leading-edge tubercles for blade design modification. Currently, research in this area covers the application of marine and aircraft devices, including lifting surfaces and rotating blades. Tubercles for rotating blades can be found in propellers and turbines. In this paper, the research progress of the biomimetic tubercles on the leading edge of the rotating blade is reviewed from both experimental and numerical aspects. For the blades with tubercles, the main research focus is the analysis and evaluation of the influencing factors such as flow modification, thrust and torque generation, along with the calculation model and analysis. The paper introduces the experiments and the theoretical results of numerical studies conducted for blades with tubercles, for both marine and aircraft applications. Hence, revealing the essence of biomimetic tubercle blades to improve the propeller performance.