Research Progress and Prospects of Humpback-Whale-Inspired Leading-Edge Tubercles in Automotive Rear-Wing Aerodynamic Design

Abstract

Automotive rear wings operate in a three-dimensional, non-uniform flow field shaped by the vehicle wake, ground motion, supports, and yawed inflow. This review evaluates whether humpback whale-inspired leading-edge tubercles can provide useful passive flow control in this environment. Literature published mainly from 2021 to 2026 is organized through a mechanism-validation-transfer-focus framework. Fundamental studies show that tubercles generate streamwise vortices and divide full-span separation into localized peak-trough cells. Their most repeatable benefit is not a universal increase in maximum lift, but a smoother stall process, improved post-stall load retention, and, under selected unsteady conditions, reduced load coherence. These gains often involve a pre-stall efficiency penalty and depend strongly on amplitude, wavelength, Reynolds number, baseline airfoil, aspect ratio, and installation conditions. Cross-domain results from rotating machinery demonstrate engineering potential but cannot be transferred directly because rotation introduces centrifugal effects, periodic inflow, and distinct tip-vortex dynamics. Direct automotive evidence remains scarce, and a Formula 1 ground-effect study reported no efficiency improvement. Future work should therefore prioritize standardized operating-condition matrices, parameter interactions, and localized coverage, dynamic validation, and engineering robustness within a full-vehicle environment.