Physics-Based Design of Micro Air Vehicles
Abstract
Micro air vehicles, especially those that use flapping wings for propulsion and control, are characterized by complex, time-dependent, nonlinear interactions amongst a variety of physical disciplines. These interactions must be carefully controlled to attain desired levels of performance, but the number and range of parameters that describe possible micro aircraft is extremely large, poorly explored, and inadequately understood. Aerodynamic, structural, kinematic, and mechanical parameters are relevant and may be strongly coupled with each other. In this report, we describe a multidisciplinary optimization methodology that can be used to isolate combinations of parameters that elicit beneficial aeroelastic interactions from flapping wings. This methodology relies on disciplinary models that are tailored to the physics of each problem considered and on highly efficient solution strategies suitable for design optimization. We then report on results from the application of this methodology to three problems involving flapping wings in either hover or steady forward flight. In each case, we identify physical mechanisms that can be used to achieve significant gains in relevant performance metrics such as force production and power consumption.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA559951
Entities
People
- Philip Beran
- Raymond Kolonay
- Richard D. Snyder
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory