The power required by flapping and fixed wing vehicles in level flight is determined and compared. Based on a new modelling approach, the effects of flapping on the induced drag in flapping wing vehicles are mathematically described. It is shown that flapping causes a significant increase in the induced drag when compared with a non-flapping, fixed wing vehicle. There are two effects for that i...

The aim of this paper is to provide an aeroelastic computational tool which determines the induced wing loads during flapping flight. For this purpose, a Finite Element (FE) code based on a four-node plate bending element formulation is developed to simulate the aeroelastic behavior of flapping wings in low incompressible flow. A quasi-steady aerodynamic model is incorporated into the aeroelast...

Today, Flapping Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAV) are used in many different applications. Reynolds Number for this kind of aerial vehicle is about 104 ~ 105 which shows dominancy of inertial effects in comparison of viscous effects in flow field except adjacent of the solid boundaries. Due to periodic flapping stroke, fluid flow is unsteady. In addition, these creatures have some complexities in kin...

The flapping wing flight has superior maneuverability and aerodynamic advantages in a low Reynolds number regime. Nature’s flyers generate aerodynamic forces and moments from the various wing motions such as flapping and pitching to fly and sustain its flight stability. Bioinspired design of flapping air vehicle is one of the effective ways to exploit such a complex system. However the flapping...

Optimization of flapping wing trajectory was explored using an experimental apparatus. A scaled-up hawkmoth (Manduca sexta) wing was fabricated and mounted to a three-degree of freedom flapping mechanism. The vertical force generated during flapping was measured using a load cell and the wing path was optimized to maximize the average vertical force. The mechanism design, control, and instrumen...

Flapping-wing robotic platforms based on Dipteran insects have demonstrated lift to weight ratios greater than 1, but research into regulating the aerodynamic forces produced by their wings has largely focused on active wing trajectory control. In an alternate approach, a flapping-wing drivetrain design that passively balances aerodynamic drag torques is presented. A discussion of the dynamic p...

Over the last decades, there has been great interest in understanding the aerodynamics of flapping flight and development of flapping wing Micro Air Vehicles (FWMAVs). The camber deformation and twisting has been demonstrated quantitatively in a number of insects, but making artificial wings that mimic those features is a challenge. This paper reports the development and characterization of art...

A three-dimensional high-order unstructured dynamic grid based spectral difference (SD) Navier-Stokes (N-S) compressible flow solver with low Mach number preconditioning is used to investigate the effects of wing planforms on the aerodynamics performance of the thin finite-span flapping wings in this paper. Two types of wings, namely the rectangular and bio-inspired wings, are simulated and com...

Many flying animals use both flapping and gliding flight as part of their routine behaviour. These two kinematic patterns impose conflicting requirements on wing design for aerodynamic efficiency and, in the absence of extreme morphing, wings cannot be optimised for both flight modes. In gliding flight, the wing experiences uniform incident flow and the optimal shape is a high aspect ratio wing...

Abstract: To propel a lightweight structure, a hybrid wing structure was designed; the wing’s geometry resembled a rotor blade, and its flexibility resembled an insect’s flapping wing. The wing was designed to be flexible in twist and spanwise rigid, thus maintaining the aeroelastic advantages of a flexible wing. The use of a relatively “thick” airfoil enabled the achievement of higher strength...