An Experimental Investigation of the Geometric Characteristics of Flapping-Wing Propulsion for a Micro Air Vehicle

Abstract

The geometric characteristics of flapping-wing propulsion are studied experimentally through the use of a force balance and a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) system. The system used is built to duplicate the propulsion system currently on the flying model at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) MAV model. Experiments are carried out in a low speed wind tunnel to determine the effects of mean separation and plunge amplitude on the flapping wing propulsion system. Additionally, the effects on flapping wing shape, frequency, and MAV angle on attack (AoA) are also investigated. Some flow visualization is also performed. The intent is to optimize the system so that payload and controllability improvements can be made to the NPS MAV.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA417547

Entities

People

  • Jason Papadopoulos

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Aircrafts
  • Amplitude
  • Carbon Fibers
  • Data Acquisition
  • Data Sets
  • Elastic Properties
  • Flow
  • Flow Visualization
  • Frequency
  • Measurement
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Micro Air Vehicles
  • Pressure Transducers
  • Propulsion Systems
  • Vehicles
  • Wind Tunnels

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerodynamics/Aeronautics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design