Modeling and Simulation of Nonlinear Dynamics of Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles

The derivation of the nonlinear dynamics of flapping wing micro air vehicles is presented. Simulation results investigate differences in the position and orientation of the body due to differing wing masses and aerodynamic modeling choices. The flapping wing micro air vehicle is modeled as a system of three rigid bodies: a body and two wings. Themass of the wings, and their associatedmass and inertial effects on the body, are thoroughly analyzed and included. Simulations are compared with previous modeling efforts, which neglected the wings’ mass and the associated inertial coupling effects on the body. Simulations show a qualitative consistency for the nonlinear model with wing effects when different aerodynamic models are chosen as inputs. Simulation results show a significant difference in themodel behavior when themass of the wings, initially set at 5.7% of the bodymass, is included versus when themass is neglected. As themass of thewings is decreased, the simulation results of themodel withwing effects approach the resultswhen the standard aircraftmodel is used. Simulations lead to the conclusion that themass effects of the wings are important for dynamics, stability, and control analyses.