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In recent years, nonlinear dynamic models have been developed for flapping-type energy harvesting systems with a rigid wing, but not for those with a flexible wing. Thus, in this study, flexible wing designs of NACA0012 section are proposed and measurements of the forces of rigid cambered wings, which are used to estimate the performance of the designed wings, are conducted. Polar curves from the measured lift and drag coefficients show that JavaFoil estimation is much closer to the measured values than Eppler over the entire given range of angles of attack. As the camber of the rigid cambered wings is increased, both the lift and drag coefficients increase, in turn increasing the resultant forces. Moreover, the maximum resultant forces for all rigid cambered wings are achieved at the same angle of attack as the maximum lift coefficient, meaning that the lift coefficient is dominant in representations of the wing characteristics. Keywords: Flapping-type energy harvesting system, Flexible wing, Cambered rigid wing, Wing characteristics, NACA0012

In this study, flow-driven rotor simulations with a given load are conducted to analyze the operational characteristics of a vertical-axis Darrieus turbine, specifically its self-starting capability and fluctuations in its torque as well as the RPM. These characteristics are typically observed in experiments, though they cannot be acquired in simulations with a given tip speed ratio (TSR). First, it is shown that a flow-driven rotor simulation with a two-dimensional (2D) turbine model obtains power coefficients with curves similar to those obtained in a simulation with a given TSR. 3D flow-driven rotor simulations with an optimal geometry then show that a helical-bladed turbine has the following prominent advantages over a straight-bladed turbine of the same size: an improvement of its self-starting capabilities and reduced fluctuations in its torque and RPM curves as well as an increase in its power coefficient from 33% to 42%. Therefore, it is clear that a flow-driven rotor simulation provides more information for the design of a Darrieus turbine than a simulation with a given TSR before experiments.