Super Maneuverable, Flapping Wing Micro-Air-Vehicles
Abstract
Interest in the development of super-maneuverable, micro-air-vehicles has led to the re-examination of basic flight modes, particularly, those that are inspired by biological observations. The majority of experimental and numerical studies related to flapping flight have explored the relationships between the thrust coefficient (and propulsive efficiency) and wing geometry and kinematics. Relatively speaking, the wing flexibility and the interplay between kinematics and flexibility have received less attention, and currently, it remains unclear as to if they can be exploited to achieve a better performance during low Reynolds number flapping flight. To bridge this gap. the role of flexibility and fluid-structure interactions in flapping flight have been numerically investigated by using a two-dimensional, two-component wing system with a torsion spring. One of the primary outcomes of this work is that nonlinear resonances play an important role in determining the performance of a flapping wing system, mainly through the formation of leading, trailing edge, and end of stroke vortices and interactions amongst them.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 16, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA496268
Entities
People
- B. Balachandran
- Elias Balaras
- Marcos Vanella
- Sergio Preidikman
- Timothy Fitzgerald
Organizations
- University of Maryland