An immersed-boundary method is used to investigate the flapping wings with different aspect ratios ranging from 1 to 5.The numerical results on wake structures and the performance of the propulsion are given.Unlike th...An immersed-boundary method is used to investigate the flapping wings with different aspect ratios ranging from 1 to 5.The numerical results on wake structures and the performance of the propulsion are given.Unlike the case of the two-dimensional flapping foil,the wing-tip vortices appear for the flow past a three-dimensional flapping wing,which makes the wake vortex structures much different.The results show that the leading edge vortex merges into the trailing edge vortex,connects with the wing tip vortices and then sheds from the wing.A vortex ring forms in the wake,and exhibits different patterns for different foil aspect ratios.Analysis of hydrodynamic performances shows that both thrust coefficient and efficiency of the flapping wing increase with increasing aspect ratio.展开更多
Modeling the dynamics of flapping wing aerial vehicle is challenging due to the complexity of aerodynamic effects and mechanical structures.The aim of this work is to develop an accurate dynamics model of flapping win...Modeling the dynamics of flapping wing aerial vehicle is challenging due to the complexity of aerodynamic effects and mechanical structures.The aim of this work is to develop an accurate dynamics model of flapping wing aerial vehicle based on real flight data.We propose a modeling framework that combines rigid body dynamics with a neural network to predict aerodynamic effects.By incorporating the concept of flapping phase,we significantly enhance the network’s ability to analyze transient aerodynamic behavior.We design and utilize a phase-functioned neural network structure for aerodynamic predictions and train the network using real flight data.Evaluation results show that the network can predict aerodynamic effects and demonstrate clear physical significance.We verify that the framework can be used for dynamic propagation and is expected to be utilized for building simulators for flapping wing aerial vehicles.展开更多
This paper presents a novel modelling method to study the thrust generation mechanism of biplane flapping wings made of thin and highly deformable membrane.Based on the principle of strain energy equivalence,the membr...This paper presents a novel modelling method to study the thrust generation mechanism of biplane flapping wings made of thin and highly deformable membrane.Based on the principle of strain energy equivalence,the membrane structures were modelled by mass-spring systems.The aerodynamic loads were calculated by a simplified quasi-steady aerodynamic model with consideration of the clap-and-fling mechanism.The impact force was introduced into the system when two wing surfaces were in contact.For wing-dynamics simulation problems,convergence analyses were conducted to obtain suitable mesh resolution.To validate the present modelling method,the predicted thrust and required power of a biplane flapping-wing air vehicle were compared with the experimental data.The effect of the forward speed was also analyzed in this paper.It was shown that as the forward speed increases the thrust production efficiency becomes lower together with smaller wing deformation.展开更多
Throughout the previous studies,none of them are involved in analysing the downwash flow effect on the control surface of the Flapping Wing Rotor(FWR).An overset CFD numerical model is built up and validated to study ...Throughout the previous studies,none of them are involved in analysing the downwash flow effect on the control surface of the Flapping Wing Rotor(FWR).An overset CFD numerical model is built up and validated to study the downwash flow’s effect on the stability of the FWR.After simulation,a cone like self-lock region which acts as the critical condition determining the stability of FWR is found.Only when the flow’s resultant velocity acting on the control surface lies in the stable region,the FWR can keep stable.The size of the cone like self-lock stable region can be enlarged by increasing the maximum feasible deflection angle constrained by mechanical design or enhancing the equivalent downwash flow velocity.Among all the simulated cases,when J=2.67(f=5 Hz,■=5 r/s),the largest average equivalent downwash flow velocities are found.On the other hand,the recovery torque could be enhanced due to the increase of the arm of the lateral force.According to these simulation results,a 43 g FWR model with two control surfaces and two stabilizers is then designed.A series of flight tests is then conducted to help confirm the conclusion of the mechanism research in this work.Overall,this study points out several strategies to increase the flight stability of the FWR and finally realizes the stable climb flight and mild descent flight of the FWR.展开更多
Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicles(FMAVs)are compact and agile,capable of accessing narrow spaces that conventional vehicles struggle to reach,such as ruins,caves,or the interiors of complex structures,making them ideal...Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicles(FMAVs)are compact and agile,capable of accessing narrow spaces that conventional vehicles struggle to reach,such as ruins,caves,or the interiors of complex structures,making them ideal tools for reconnaissance and rescue missions.1 However,the operation of FMAVs relies on coordinating multiple forces with different scaling effects,posing challenges to miniaturization design.展开更多
A theoretical modeling approach as well as an unsteady analytical method is used to study aerodynamic characteristics of wing flapping with asymmetric stroke-cycles in connection with an oblique stroke plane during in...A theoretical modeling approach as well as an unsteady analytical method is used to study aerodynamic characteristics of wing flapping with asymmetric stroke-cycles in connection with an oblique stroke plane during insect forward flight. It is revealed that the aerodynamic asymmetry between the downstroke and the upstroke due to stroke-asymmetrical flapping is a key to understand the flow physics of generation and modulation of the lift and the thrust. Predicted results for examples of given kinematics validate more specifically some viewpoints that the wing lift is more easily produced when the forward speed is higher and the thrust is harder, and the lift and the thrust are generated mainly during downstroke and upstroke, respectively. The effects of three controlling parameters, i.e. the angles of tilted stroke plane, the different downstroke duration ratios, and the different angles of attack in both down- and up-stroke, are further discussed. It is found that larger oblique angles of stroke planes generate larger thrust but smaller lift; larger downstroke duration ratios lead to larger thrust, while making little change in lift and input aerodynamic power; and again, a small increase of the angle of attack in downstroke or upstroke may cause remarkable changes in aerodynamic performance in the relevant stroke.展开更多
We have examined the aerodynamic effects of corrugation in model wings that closely mimic the wing movements of a forward flight bumblebee using the method of computational fluid dynamics. Various corrugated wing mode...We have examined the aerodynamic effects of corrugation in model wings that closely mimic the wing movements of a forward flight bumblebee using the method of computational fluid dynamics. Various corrugated wing models were tested （care was taken to ensure that the corrugation introduced zero camber）. Advance ratio ranging from 0 to 0.57 was considered. The results shown that at all flight speeds considered, the time courses of aerodynamic force of the corrugated wing are very close to those of the flat-plate wing. The cornlgation decreases aerodynamic force slightly. The changes in the mean location of center of pressure in the spanwise and chordwise directions resulting from the corrugation are no more than 3% of the wing chord length. The possible reason for the small aerodynamic effects of wing corrugation is that the wing operates at a large angle of attack and the flow is separated： the large angle of incidence dominates the corrugation in determining the flow around the wing, and for separated flow, the flow is much less sensitive to wing shape variation.展开更多
The application of biomimetics in the development of unmanned-aerial-vehicles （UAV） has advanced to an exceptionally small scale of nano-aerial-vehicles （NAV）, which has surpassed its immediate predecessor of micr...The application of biomimetics in the development of unmanned-aerial-vehicles （UAV） has advanced to an exceptionally small scale of nano-aerial-vehicles （NAV）, which has surpassed its immediate predecessor of micro-aerial-vehicles （MAV）, leaving a vast range of development possi- bilities that MAVs have to offer. Because of the prompt advancement into the NAV research devel- opment, the true potential and challenges presented by MAV development were never solved, understood, and truly uncovered, especially under the influence of transition and low Reynolds number flow characteristics. This paper reviews a part of previous MAV research developments which are deemed important of notification; kinematics, membranes, and flapping mechanisms ranges from small birds to big insects, which resides within the transition and low Reynolds number regimes. This paper also reviews the possibility of applying a piezoelectric transmission used to pro- duce NAV flapping wing motion and mounted on a MAV, replacing the conventional motorized flapping wing transmission. Findings suggest that limited work has been done for MAVs matching these criteria. The preferred research approach has seen bias towards numerical analysis as compared to experimental analysis.展开更多
The analysis of the passive rotation feature of a micro Flapping Rotary Wing（FRW）applicable for Micro Air Vehicle（MAV） design is presented in this paper. The dynamics of the wing and its influence on aerodynamic p...The analysis of the passive rotation feature of a micro Flapping Rotary Wing（FRW）applicable for Micro Air Vehicle（MAV） design is presented in this paper. The dynamics of the wing and its influence on aerodynamic performance of FRW is studied at low Reynolds number（~10~3）.The FRW is modeled as a simplified system of three rigid bodies： a rotary base with two flapping wings. The multibody dynamic theory is employed to derive the motion equations for FRW. A quasi-steady aerodynamic model is utilized for the calculation of the aerodynamic forces and moments. The dynamic motion process and the effects of the kinematics of wings on the dynamic rotational equilibrium of FWR and the aerodynamic performances are studied. The results show that the passive rotation motion of the wings is a continuous dynamic process which converges into an equilibrium rotary velocity due to the interaction between aerodynamic thrust, drag force and wing inertia. This causes a unique dynamic time-lag phenomena of lift generation for FRW, unlike the normal flapping wing flight vehicle driven by its own motor to actively rotate its wings. The analysis also shows that in order to acquire a high positive lift generation with high power efficiency and small dynamic time-lag, a relative high mid-up stroke angle within 7–15° and low mid-down stroke angle within -40° to -35° are necessary. The results provide a quantified guidance for design option of FRW together with the optimal kinematics of motion according to flight performance requirement.展开更多
This paper numerically studies the aerodynamic performance of a bird-like bionic flapping wing.The geometry and kinematics are designed based on a seagull wing,in which flapping,folding,swaying,and twisting are consid...This paper numerically studies the aerodynamic performance of a bird-like bionic flapping wing.The geometry and kinematics are designed based on a seagull wing,in which flapping,folding,swaying,and twisting are considered.An in-house unsteady flow solver based on hybrid moving grids.is adopted for unsteady flow simulations.We focus on two main issues in this study,i.e.,the influence of the proportion of down-stroke and the effect of span-wise twisting.Numerical results show that the proportion of downstroke is closely related to the efficiency of the flapping process.The preferable proportion is about 0.7 by using the present geometry and kinematic model,which is very close to the observed data.Another finding is that the drag and the power consumption can be greatly reduced by the proper span-wise twisting.Two cases with different reduced frequencies are simulated and compared with each other.The numerical results show that the power consumption reduces by more than 20%,and the drag coefficient reduces by more than 60% through a proper twisting motion for both cases.The flow mechanism is mainly due to controlling of unsteady flow separation by adjusting the local effective angle of attack.These conclusions will be helpful for the high-performance micro air vehicle (MAV) design.展开更多
This article studies the elastic properties of several biomimetic micro air vehicle（BMAV）wings that are based on a dragonfly wing.BMAVs are a new class of unmanned micro-sized air vehicles that mimic the flapping wi...This article studies the elastic properties of several biomimetic micro air vehicle（BMAV）wings that are based on a dragonfly wing.BMAVs are a new class of unmanned micro-sized air vehicles that mimic the flapping wing motion of flying biological organisms（e.g.,insects,birds,and bats）.Three structurally identical wings were fabricated using different materials：acrylonitrile butadiene styrene（ABS）,polylactic acid（PLA）,and acrylic.Simplified wing frame structures were fabricated from these materials and then a nanocomposite film was adhered to them which mimics the membrane of an actual dragonfly.These wings were then attached to an electromagnetic actuator and passively flapped at frequencies of 10-250 Hz.A three-dimensional high frame rate imaging system was used to capture the flapping motions of these wings at a resolution of 320 pixels x 240 pixels and 35000 frames per second.The maximum bending angle,maximum wing tip deflection,maximum wing tip twist angle,and wing tip twist speed of each wing were measured and compared to each other and the actual dragonfly wing.The results show that the ABS wing has considerable flexibility in the chordwise direction,whereas the PLA and acrylic wings show better conformity to an actual dragonfly wing in the spanwise direction.Past studies have shown that the aerodynamic performance of a BMAV flapping wing is enhanced if its chordwise flexibility is increased and its spanwise flexibility is reduced.Therefore,the ABS wing（fabricated using a 3D printer） shows the most promising results for future applications.展开更多
Winged animals such as insects are capable of flying and surviving in an unsteady and unpredictable aerial environment.They generate and control aerodynamic forces by flapping their flexible wings.While the dynamic sh...Winged animals such as insects are capable of flying and surviving in an unsteady and unpredictable aerial environment.They generate and control aerodynamic forces by flapping their flexible wings.While the dynamic shape changes of their flapping wings are known to enhance the efficiency of their flight,they can also affect the stability of a flapping wing flyer under unpredictable disturbances by responding to the sudden changes of aerodynamic forces on the wing.In order to test the hypothesis,the gust response of flexible flapping wings is investigated numerically with a specific focus on the passive maintenance of aerodynamic forces by the wing flexibility.The computational model is based on a dynamic flight simulator that can incorporate the realistic morphology,the kinematics,the structural dynamics,the aerodynamics and the fluid-structure interactions of a hovering hawkmoth.The longitudinal gusts are imposed against the tethered model of a hovering hawkmoth with flexible flapping wings.It is found that the aerodynamic forces on the flapping wings are affected by the gust,because of the increase or decrease in relative wingtip velocity or kinematic angle of attack.The passive shape change of flexible wings can,however,reduce the changes in the magnitude and direction of aerodynamic forces by the gusts from various directions,except for the downward gust.Such adaptive response of the flexible structure to stabilise the attitude can be classified into the mechanical feedback,which works passively with minimal delay,and is of great importance to the design of bio-inspired flapping wings for micro-air vehicles.展开更多
Flying insects are capable of flapping their wings to provide the required power and control forces for flight.A coordinated organizational system including muscles,wings,and control architecture plays a significant r...Flying insects are capable of flapping their wings to provide the required power and control forces for flight.A coordinated organizational system including muscles,wings,and control architecture plays a significant role,which provides the sources of inspiration for designing flapping-wing vehicles.In recent years,due to the development of micro-and meso-scale manufacturing technologies,advances in components technologies have directly led to a progress of smaller Flapping-Wing Nano Air Vehicles(FWNAVs)around gram and sub-gram scales,and these air vehicles have gradually acquired insect-like locomotive strategies and capabilities.This paper will present a selective review of components technologies for ultra-lightweight flapping-wing nano air vehicles under 3 g,which covers the novel propulsion methods such as artificial muscles,flight control mechanisms,and the design paradigms of the insect-inspired wings,with a special focus on the development of the driving technologies based on artificial muscles and the progress of the biomimetic wings.The challenges involved in constructing such small flapping-wing air vehicles and recommendations for several possible future directions in terms of component technology enhancements and overall vehicle performance are also discussed in this paper.This review will provide the essential guidelines and the insights for designing a flapping-wing nano air vehicle with higher performance.展开更多
Flapping-wing flight, as the distinctive flight method retained by natural flying creatures, contains profound aerodynamic principles and brings great inspirations and encouragements to drone developers. Though some i...Flapping-wing flight, as the distinctive flight method retained by natural flying creatures, contains profound aerodynamic principles and brings great inspirations and encouragements to drone developers. Though some ingenious flapping-wing robots have been designed during the past two decades, development and application of autonomous flapping-wing robots are less successful and still require further research. Here, we report the development of a servo-driven bird-like flapping-wing robot named USTBird-I and its application in autonomous airdrop.Inspired by birds, a camber structure and a dihedral angle adjustment mechanism are introduced into the airfoil design and motion control of the wings, respectively. Computational fluid dynamics simulations and actual flight tests show that this bionic design can significantly improve the gliding performance of the robot, which is beneficial to the execution of the airdrop mission.Finally, a vision-based airdrop experiment has been successfully implemented on USTBird-I, which is the first demonstration of a bird-like flapping-wing robot conducting an outdoor airdrop mission.展开更多
Most insects and hummingbirds can generate lift during both upstroke and downstroke with a nearly horizontal flapping stroke plane,and perform precise hovering flight.Further,most birds can utilize tails and muscles i...Most insects and hummingbirds can generate lift during both upstroke and downstroke with a nearly horizontal flapping stroke plane,and perform precise hovering flight.Further,most birds can utilize tails and muscles in wings to actively control the flight performance,while insects control their flight with muscles based on wing root along with wing’s passive deformation.Based on the above flight principles of birds and insects,Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles(FWMAVs)are classified as either bird-inspired or insect-inspired FWMAVs.In this review,the research achievements on mechanisms of insect-inspired,hoverable FWMAVs over the last ten years(2011-2020)are provided.We also provide the definition,function,research status and development prospect of hoverable FWMAVs.Then discuss it from three aspects:bio-inspiration,motor-driving mechanisms and intelligent actuator-driving mechanisms.Following this,research groups involved in insect-inspired,hoverable FWMAV research and their major achievements are summarized and classified in tables.Problems,trends and challenges about the mechanism are compiled and presented.Finally,this paper presents conclusions about research on mechanical structure,and the future is discussed to enable further research interests.展开更多
基金supported by the Doctoral Research Foundation of Chinese Universities (Grant No. 20070335066)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50735004, 10802075)
文摘An immersed-boundary method is used to investigate the flapping wings with different aspect ratios ranging from 1 to 5.The numerical results on wake structures and the performance of the propulsion are given.Unlike the case of the two-dimensional flapping foil,the wing-tip vortices appear for the flow past a three-dimensional flapping wing,which makes the wake vortex structures much different.The results show that the leading edge vortex merges into the trailing edge vortex,connects with the wing tip vortices and then sheds from the wing.A vortex ring forms in the wake,and exhibits different patterns for different foil aspect ratios.Analysis of hydrodynamic performances shows that both thrust coefficient and efficiency of the flapping wing increase with increasing aspect ratio.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.62236007the specialized research projects of Huanjiang Laboratory.
文摘Modeling the dynamics of flapping wing aerial vehicle is challenging due to the complexity of aerodynamic effects and mechanical structures.The aim of this work is to develop an accurate dynamics model of flapping wing aerial vehicle based on real flight data.We propose a modeling framework that combines rigid body dynamics with a neural network to predict aerodynamic effects.By incorporating the concept of flapping phase,we significantly enhance the network’s ability to analyze transient aerodynamic behavior.We design and utilize a phase-functioned neural network structure for aerodynamic predictions and train the network using real flight data.Evaluation results show that the network can predict aerodynamic effects and demonstrate clear physical significance.We verify that the framework can be used for dynamic propagation and is expected to be utilized for building simulators for flapping wing aerial vehicles.
基金funded by Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development(NAFOSTED)(Grant No.107.01-2021.39).
文摘This paper presents a novel modelling method to study the thrust generation mechanism of biplane flapping wings made of thin and highly deformable membrane.Based on the principle of strain energy equivalence,the membrane structures were modelled by mass-spring systems.The aerodynamic loads were calculated by a simplified quasi-steady aerodynamic model with consideration of the clap-and-fling mechanism.The impact force was introduced into the system when two wing surfaces were in contact.For wing-dynamics simulation problems,convergence analyses were conducted to obtain suitable mesh resolution.To validate the present modelling method,the predicted thrust and required power of a biplane flapping-wing air vehicle were compared with the experimental data.The effect of the forward speed was also analyzed in this paper.It was shown that as the forward speed increases the thrust production efficiency becomes lower together with smaller wing deformation.
基金supported by the following funding organizations in China:National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52375116 and Grant No.52105285)the Aeronautical Science Foundation of China(Grant No.ASFC-20230023052001)+3 种基金China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2024M754237)National Key Research and Development Program of China(2024YFB470920001)Science and Technology Plan Project of Wenzhou Municipality(Grant No.ZG2024001)Basic Public Welfare Research Program of Wenzhou(Grant No.G2023046).
文摘Throughout the previous studies,none of them are involved in analysing the downwash flow effect on the control surface of the Flapping Wing Rotor(FWR).An overset CFD numerical model is built up and validated to study the downwash flow’s effect on the stability of the FWR.After simulation,a cone like self-lock region which acts as the critical condition determining the stability of FWR is found.Only when the flow’s resultant velocity acting on the control surface lies in the stable region,the FWR can keep stable.The size of the cone like self-lock stable region can be enlarged by increasing the maximum feasible deflection angle constrained by mechanical design or enhancing the equivalent downwash flow velocity.Among all the simulated cases,when J=2.67(f=5 Hz,■=5 r/s),the largest average equivalent downwash flow velocities are found.On the other hand,the recovery torque could be enhanced due to the increase of the arm of the lateral force.According to these simulation results,a 43 g FWR model with two control surfaces and two stabilizers is then designed.A series of flight tests is then conducted to help confirm the conclusion of the mechanism research in this work.Overall,this study points out several strategies to increase the flight stability of the FWR and finally realizes the stable climb flight and mild descent flight of the FWR.
基金supported by the Scientific Research Innovation Capability Support Project for Young Faculty,China(No.ZYGXQNJSKYCXNLZCXM-D1)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52272384).
文摘Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicles(FMAVs)are compact and agile,capable of accessing narrow spaces that conventional vehicles struggle to reach,such as ruins,caves,or the interiors of complex structures,making them ideal tools for reconnaissance and rescue missions.1 However,the operation of FMAVs relies on coordinating multiple forces with different scaling effects,posing challenges to miniaturization design.
基金The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(10072066,90305009) the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KJCX-SW-L04,KJCX2-SW-L2)
文摘A theoretical modeling approach as well as an unsteady analytical method is used to study aerodynamic characteristics of wing flapping with asymmetric stroke-cycles in connection with an oblique stroke plane during insect forward flight. It is revealed that the aerodynamic asymmetry between the downstroke and the upstroke due to stroke-asymmetrical flapping is a key to understand the flow physics of generation and modulation of the lift and the thrust. Predicted results for examples of given kinematics validate more specifically some viewpoints that the wing lift is more easily produced when the forward speed is higher and the thrust is harder, and the lift and the thrust are generated mainly during downstroke and upstroke, respectively. The effects of three controlling parameters, i.e. the angles of tilted stroke plane, the different downstroke duration ratios, and the different angles of attack in both down- and up-stroke, are further discussed. It is found that larger oblique angles of stroke planes generate larger thrust but smaller lift; larger downstroke duration ratios lead to larger thrust, while making little change in lift and input aerodynamic power; and again, a small increase of the angle of attack in downstroke or upstroke may cause remarkable changes in aerodynamic performance in the relevant stroke.
基金Acknowledgement This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant No. 10732030） and the 111 Project （B07009）.
文摘We have examined the aerodynamic effects of corrugation in model wings that closely mimic the wing movements of a forward flight bumblebee using the method of computational fluid dynamics. Various corrugated wing models were tested （care was taken to ensure that the corrugation introduced zero camber）. Advance ratio ranging from 0 to 0.57 was considered. The results shown that at all flight speeds considered, the time courses of aerodynamic force of the corrugated wing are very close to those of the flat-plate wing. The cornlgation decreases aerodynamic force slightly. The changes in the mean location of center of pressure in the spanwise and chordwise directions resulting from the corrugation are no more than 3% of the wing chord length. The possible reason for the small aerodynamic effects of wing corrugation is that the wing operates at a large angle of attack and the flow is separated： the large angle of incidence dominates the corrugation in determining the flow around the wing, and for separated flow, the flow is much less sensitive to wing shape variation.
文摘The application of biomimetics in the development of unmanned-aerial-vehicles （UAV） has advanced to an exceptionally small scale of nano-aerial-vehicles （NAV）, which has surpassed its immediate predecessor of micro-aerial-vehicles （MAV）, leaving a vast range of development possi- bilities that MAVs have to offer. Because of the prompt advancement into the NAV research devel- opment, the true potential and challenges presented by MAV development were never solved, understood, and truly uncovered, especially under the influence of transition and low Reynolds number flow characteristics. This paper reviews a part of previous MAV research developments which are deemed important of notification; kinematics, membranes, and flapping mechanisms ranges from small birds to big insects, which resides within the transition and low Reynolds number regimes. This paper also reviews the possibility of applying a piezoelectric transmission used to pro- duce NAV flapping wing motion and mounted on a MAV, replacing the conventional motorized flapping wing transmission. Findings suggest that limited work has been done for MAVs matching these criteria. The preferred research approach has seen bias towards numerical analysis as compared to experimental analysis.
文摘The analysis of the passive rotation feature of a micro Flapping Rotary Wing（FRW）applicable for Micro Air Vehicle（MAV） design is presented in this paper. The dynamics of the wing and its influence on aerodynamic performance of FRW is studied at low Reynolds number（~10~3）.The FRW is modeled as a simplified system of three rigid bodies： a rotary base with two flapping wings. The multibody dynamic theory is employed to derive the motion equations for FRW. A quasi-steady aerodynamic model is utilized for the calculation of the aerodynamic forces and moments. The dynamic motion process and the effects of the kinematics of wings on the dynamic rotational equilibrium of FWR and the aerodynamic performances are studied. The results show that the passive rotation motion of the wings is a continuous dynamic process which converges into an equilibrium rotary velocity due to the interaction between aerodynamic thrust, drag force and wing inertia. This causes a unique dynamic time-lag phenomena of lift generation for FRW, unlike the normal flapping wing flight vehicle driven by its own motor to actively rotate its wings. The analysis also shows that in order to acquire a high positive lift generation with high power efficiency and small dynamic time-lag, a relative high mid-up stroke angle within 7–15° and low mid-down stroke angle within -40° to -35° are necessary. The results provide a quantified guidance for design option of FRW together with the optimal kinematics of motion according to flight performance requirement.
基金Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program(No.2016YFB0200700)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.11532016 and 11672324)
文摘This paper numerically studies the aerodynamic performance of a bird-like bionic flapping wing.The geometry and kinematics are designed based on a seagull wing,in which flapping,folding,swaying,and twisting are considered.An in-house unsteady flow solver based on hybrid moving grids.is adopted for unsteady flow simulations.We focus on two main issues in this study,i.e.,the influence of the proportion of down-stroke and the effect of span-wise twisting.Numerical results show that the proportion of downstroke is closely related to the efficiency of the flapping process.The preferable proportion is about 0.7 by using the present geometry and kinematic model,which is very close to the observed data.Another finding is that the drag and the power consumption can be greatly reduced by the proper span-wise twisting.Two cases with different reduced frequencies are simulated and compared with each other.The numerical results show that the power consumption reduces by more than 20%,and the drag coefficient reduces by more than 60% through a proper twisting motion for both cases.The flow mechanism is mainly due to controlling of unsteady flow separation by adjusting the local effective angle of attack.These conclusions will be helpful for the high-performance micro air vehicle (MAV) design.
基金primarily funded by the High Impact Research Grant from the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education(UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/ENG/12,H16001-D000012)a secondarily by a University of Malaya Research Grant(RG155-12AET)
文摘This article studies the elastic properties of several biomimetic micro air vehicle（BMAV）wings that are based on a dragonfly wing.BMAVs are a new class of unmanned micro-sized air vehicles that mimic the flapping wing motion of flying biological organisms（e.g.,insects,birds,and bats）.Three structurally identical wings were fabricated using different materials：acrylonitrile butadiene styrene（ABS）,polylactic acid（PLA）,and acrylic.Simplified wing frame structures were fabricated from these materials and then a nanocomposite film was adhered to them which mimics the membrane of an actual dragonfly.These wings were then attached to an electromagnetic actuator and passively flapped at frequencies of 10-250 Hz.A three-dimensional high frame rate imaging system was used to capture the flapping motions of these wings at a resolution of 320 pixels x 240 pixels and 35000 frames per second.The maximum bending angle,maximum wing tip deflection,maximum wing tip twist angle,and wing tip twist speed of each wing were measured and compared to each other and the actual dragonfly wing.The results show that the ABS wing has considerable flexibility in the chordwise direction,whereas the PLA and acrylic wings show better conformity to an actual dragonfly wing in the spanwise direction.Past studies have shown that the aerodynamic performance of a BMAV flapping wing is enhanced if its chordwise flexibility is increased and its spanwise flexibility is reduced.Therefore,the ABS wing（fabricated using a 3D printer） shows the most promising results for future applications.
文摘Winged animals such as insects are capable of flying and surviving in an unsteady and unpredictable aerial environment.They generate and control aerodynamic forces by flapping their flexible wings.While the dynamic shape changes of their flapping wings are known to enhance the efficiency of their flight,they can also affect the stability of a flapping wing flyer under unpredictable disturbances by responding to the sudden changes of aerodynamic forces on the wing.In order to test the hypothesis,the gust response of flexible flapping wings is investigated numerically with a specific focus on the passive maintenance of aerodynamic forces by the wing flexibility.The computational model is based on a dynamic flight simulator that can incorporate the realistic morphology,the kinematics,the structural dynamics,the aerodynamics and the fluid-structure interactions of a hovering hawkmoth.The longitudinal gusts are imposed against the tethered model of a hovering hawkmoth with flexible flapping wings.It is found that the aerodynamic forces on the flapping wings are affected by the gust,because of the increase or decrease in relative wingtip velocity or kinematic angle of attack.The passive shape change of flexible wings can,however,reduce the changes in the magnitude and direction of aerodynamic forces by the gusts from various directions,except for the downward gust.Such adaptive response of the flexible structure to stabilise the attitude can be classified into the mechanical feedback,which works passively with minimal delay,and is of great importance to the design of bio-inspired flapping wings for micro-air vehicles.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52175277,51905431).
文摘Flying insects are capable of flapping their wings to provide the required power and control forces for flight.A coordinated organizational system including muscles,wings,and control architecture plays a significant role,which provides the sources of inspiration for designing flapping-wing vehicles.In recent years,due to the development of micro-and meso-scale manufacturing technologies,advances in components technologies have directly led to a progress of smaller Flapping-Wing Nano Air Vehicles(FWNAVs)around gram and sub-gram scales,and these air vehicles have gradually acquired insect-like locomotive strategies and capabilities.This paper will present a selective review of components technologies for ultra-lightweight flapping-wing nano air vehicles under 3 g,which covers the novel propulsion methods such as artificial muscles,flight control mechanisms,and the design paradigms of the insect-inspired wings,with a special focus on the development of the driving technologies based on artificial muscles and the progress of the biomimetic wings.The challenges involved in constructing such small flapping-wing air vehicles and recommendations for several possible future directions in terms of component technology enhancements and overall vehicle performance are also discussed in this paper.This review will provide the essential guidelines and the insights for designing a flapping-wing nano air vehicle with higher performance.
基金supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(62225304,61933001,61921004,62173031)the Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation(JQ20026)+1 种基金the Beijing Top Discipline for Artificial Intelligent Science and Engineering,University of Science and Technology Beijing。
文摘Flapping-wing flight, as the distinctive flight method retained by natural flying creatures, contains profound aerodynamic principles and brings great inspirations and encouragements to drone developers. Though some ingenious flapping-wing robots have been designed during the past two decades, development and application of autonomous flapping-wing robots are less successful and still require further research. Here, we report the development of a servo-driven bird-like flapping-wing robot named USTBird-I and its application in autonomous airdrop.Inspired by birds, a camber structure and a dihedral angle adjustment mechanism are introduced into the airfoil design and motion control of the wings, respectively. Computational fluid dynamics simulations and actual flight tests show that this bionic design can significantly improve the gliding performance of the robot, which is beneficial to the execution of the airdrop mission.Finally, a vision-based airdrop experiment has been successfully implemented on USTBird-I, which is the first demonstration of a bird-like flapping-wing robot conducting an outdoor airdrop mission.
文摘Most insects and hummingbirds can generate lift during both upstroke and downstroke with a nearly horizontal flapping stroke plane,and perform precise hovering flight.Further,most birds can utilize tails and muscles in wings to actively control the flight performance,while insects control their flight with muscles based on wing root along with wing’s passive deformation.Based on the above flight principles of birds and insects,Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles(FWMAVs)are classified as either bird-inspired or insect-inspired FWMAVs.In this review,the research achievements on mechanisms of insect-inspired,hoverable FWMAVs over the last ten years(2011-2020)are provided.We also provide the definition,function,research status and development prospect of hoverable FWMAVs.Then discuss it from three aspects:bio-inspiration,motor-driving mechanisms and intelligent actuator-driving mechanisms.Following this,research groups involved in insect-inspired,hoverable FWMAV research and their major achievements are summarized and classified in tables.Problems,trends and challenges about the mechanism are compiled and presented.Finally,this paper presents conclusions about research on mechanical structure,and the future is discussed to enable further research interests.
