scholarly journals Flexibility Effects of a Flapping Mechanism Inspired by Insect Musculoskeletal System on Flight Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakito Koizumi ◽  
Toshiyuki Nakata ◽  
Hao Liu
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal System ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Force Measurements ◽  
Wind Tunnel Experiments ◽  
Aerodynamic Efficiency ◽  
Passive Response ◽  
Flexible Mechanism ◽  
Musculoskeletal Systems ◽  
Flapping Mechanism

Flying animals such as insects display great flight performances with high stability and maneuverability even under unpredictable disturbances in natural and man-made environments. Unlike man-made mechanical systems like a drone, insects can achieve various flapping motions through their flexible musculoskeletal systems. However, it remains poorly understood whether flexibility affects flight performances or not. Here, we conducted an experimental study on the effects of the flexibility associated with the flapping mechanisms on aerodynamic performance with a flexible flapping mechanism (FFM) inspired by the flexible musculoskeletal system of insects. Based on wing kinematic and force measurements, we found an appropriate combination of the flexible components could improve the aerodynamic efficiency by increasing the wingbeat amplitude. Results of the wind tunnel experiments suggested that, through some passive adjustment of the wing kinematics in concert with the flexible mechanism, the disturbance-induced effects could be suppressed. Therefore, the flight stability under the disturbances is improved. While the FFM with the most rigid spring was least efficient in the static experiments, the model was most robust against the wind within the range of the study. Our results, particularly regarding the trade-off between the efficiency and the robustness, point out the importance of the passive response of the flapping mechanisms, which may provide a functional biomimetic design for the flapping micro air vehicles (MAVs) capable of achieving high efficiency and stability.

Study of Biologically Inspired Flapping Mechanism for Micro Air Vehicles

AIAA Journal ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 1354-1365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaeem A. Khan ◽  
Sunil K. Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Biologically Inspired ◽  
Flapping Mechanism ◽  
Air Vehicles

THE PARALLEL CRANK-ROCKER FLAPPING MECHANISM: AN INSECT-INSPIRED DESIGN FOR MICRO AIR VEHICLES

2007 ◽  
Vol 04 (04) ◽  
pp. 625-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDREW T. CONN ◽  
STUART C. BURGESS ◽  
SENG LING CHUNG
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Beat Frequency ◽  
Unsteady Aerodynamics ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Insect Wing ◽  
Wing Kinematics ◽  
System A ◽  
Flying Robot ◽  
Flapping Mechanism

This paper presents a novel micro air vehicle (MAV) design that seeks to reproduce the unsteady aerodynamics of insects in their natural flight. The challenge of developing an MAV capable of hovering and maneuvering through indoor environments has led to bio-inspired flapping propulsion being considered instead of conventional fixed or rotary winged flight. Insects greatly outperform these conventional flight platforms by exploiting several unsteady aerodynamic phenomena. Therefore, reproducing insect aerodynamics by mimicking their complex wing kinematics with a miniature flying robot has significant benefits in terms of flight performance. However, insect wing kinematics are extremely complex and replicating them requires optimal design of the actuation and flapping mechanism system. A novel flapping mechanism based on parallel crank-rockers has been designed that accurately reproduces the wing kinematics employed by insects and also offers control for flight maneuvers. The mechanism has been developed into an experimental prototype with MAV scale wings (75 mm long). High-speed camera footage of the non-airborne prototype showed that its wing kinematics closely matched desired values, but that the wing beat frequency of 5.6 Hz was below the predicted value of 15 Hz. Aerodynamic testing of the prototype in hovering conditions was completed using a load cell and the mean lift force at the maximum power output was measured to be 23.8 mN.

MUSCULOSKELETAL STABILIZATION OF THE ELBOW — COMPLEX OR REAL

2007 ◽  
Vol 07 (03) ◽  
pp. 275-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
HEIKO WAGNER ◽  
PETER GIESL ◽  
REINHARD BLICKHAN
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Musculoskeletal System ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Arm Movements ◽  
Biomechanical Model ◽  
Environmental Perturbations ◽  
Complex Eigenvalues ◽  
Study Support ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Musculoskeletal Systems

Both sensory information and mechanical properties of the musculoskeletal system are necessary for fast and appropriate reactions of humans and animals to environmental perturbations. In this paper, we focus on the musculoskeletal system and study the stability of a human elbow in an equilibrium state. We derive a biomechanical model of the human elbow, including an antagonistic pair of muscles, and investigate the stability analytically based on the theory of Ljapunov. Depending on the elbow angle and the level of coactivation, we obtain the following three qualitatively different behaviors: unstable, stable with real eigenvalues, and stable with complex eigenvalues. If the eigenvalues are real, then the system is critically damped; for complex eigenvalues, solutions near the equilibrium are oscillating. Based on experimental data, we found that in principle real and complex behaviors may occur in human arm movements. The experiments support the analytical predictions. Furthermore, in agreement with the simulations, we found differences in the experimental results among the subjects. The results of this study support the assumption that arm movements around an equilibrium point may be self-stabilized without sensory feedback or motor control, based only on mechanical properties of musculoskeletal systems.

Three-Dimensional Simulation of Micro Air Vehicles with Low-Aspect-Ratio Wings

2007 ◽  
Vol 339 ◽  
pp. 377-381
Author(s):  
Xiao Quan Zhang ◽  
L. Tian
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Low Reynolds Number ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Wind Tunnel Experiments ◽  
Low Aspect Ratio ◽  
Dimensional Simulation

Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) are catching more and more attentions for their broad application in civilian and military fields. Since the theories on the aerodynamics of low Reynolds number are not maturely presented and the wind-tunnel experiments cost long periods and great expenses. The numerical simulation based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a good method to choose. Through three-dimensional simulation of the wings, the aerodynamic characteristics of the flows around MAVs can be easily obtained. The tip vortices produced around low-Reynolds-number and low-aspect-ratio wings can increase the lift and stall angles. The result of numerical simulation can be used as references of theory analysis and wind-tunnel experiments.

Deterministic Decomposition of the Unsteady Flow in a Unidirectional Axial Turbine for OWC Plant

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuria Alvarez Bertrand ◽  
Jesús Manuel Fernández Oro ◽  
Bruno Pereiras García ◽  
Manuel García Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Oscillating Water Column ◽  
Turbine Stage ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Aerodynamic Efficiency ◽  
Axial Turbine ◽  
Deterministic Framework ◽  
Energy Plants

The “twin-turbine” configuration has recently emerged as a feasible possibility for unidirectional turbines to be introduced in Oscillating Water Column wave energy plants without requiring auxiliary rectifying systems. Previous investigations by the authors have been focused on the development of a numerical CFD model to analyze the performance of a unidirectional axial turbine for twin turbine configuration in an OWC system. In this paper, all these numerical databases are further post-processed using a deterministic framework to give more insight about the flow patterns within the turbine. The final objective is the analysis of the unsteady features of the flow and the stator-rotor interactions using a deterministic decomposition. The present study reveals that levels of deterministic unsteadiness in the inter-row region are moderate, being more intense as the flow rate is decreased. Turbulence intensities are also observed to be clearly prominent in case of lower flow rates. Although these findings appear to be contradictory with the high-efficiency low flow rates of the turbine, the major levels of stator-rotor unsteadiness at higher flow rates (shown by the deterministic decomposition) justify the serious penalty in the aerodynamic efficiency as the turbine flow rate is increased. Finally, some advices with respect the design of the vane row in the turbine stage are given to control the generation of turbulence and stator-rotor interaction.

scholarly journals Aerodynamic Performance of a Passive Pitching Model on Bionic Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinjing Hao ◽  
Jianghao Wu ◽  
Yanlai Zhang
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Aerodynamic Force ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Torsional Stiffness ◽  
Important Goal ◽  
Edge Vortex ◽  
Yaw Moment ◽  
Air Vehicles

Reducing weight and increasing lift have been an important goal of using flapping wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs). However, FWMAVs with mechanisms to limit the angle of attack (α) artificially by active force cannot meet specific requirements. This study applies a bioinspired model that passively imitates insects’ pitching wings to resolve this problem. In this bionic passive pitching model, the wing root is equivalent to a torsional spring. α obtained by solving the coupled dynamic equation is similar to that of insects and exhibits a unique characteristic with two oscillated peaks during the middle of the upstroke/downstroke under the interaction of aerodynamic, torsional, and inertial moments. Excess rigidity or flexibility deteriorates the aerodynamic force and efficiency of the passive pitching wing. With appropriate torsional stiffness, passive pitching can maintain a high efficiency while enhancing the average lift by 10% than active pitching. This observation corresponds to a clear enhancement in instantaneous force and a more concentrated leading edge vortex. This phenomenon can be attributed to a vorticity moment whose component in the lift direction grows at a rapid speed. A novel bionic control strategy of this model is also proposed. Similar to the rest angle in insects, the rest angle of the model is adjusted to generate a yaw moment around the wing root without losing lift, which can assist to change the attitude and trajectory of a FWMAV during flight. These findings may guide us to deal with various conditions and requirements of FWMAV designs and applications.

Design of a Bio-Inspired Spherical Four-Bar Mechanism for Flapping-Wing Micro Air-Vehicle Applications

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt McDonald ◽  
Sunil K. Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Aerodynamic Performance ◽  
Flapping Wing ◽  
Micro Air Vehicle ◽  
Aerodynamic Forces ◽  
Flapping Motion ◽  
Wing Motion ◽  
Air Vehicle ◽  
Flapping Mechanism

Design of flapping-wing micro air-vehicles presents many engineering challenges. As observed by biologists, insects and birds exhibit complex three-dimensional wing motions. It is believed that these unique patterns of wing motion create favorable aerodynamic forces that enable these species to fly forward, hover, and execute complex motions. From the perspective of micro air-vehicle applications, extremely lightweight designs that accomplish these motions of the wing, using just a single, or a few actuators, are preferable. This paper presents a method to design a spherical four-bar flapping mechanism that approximates a given spatial flapping motion of a wing, considered to have favorable aerodynamics. A spherical flapping mechanism was then constructed and its aerodynamic performance was compared to the original spatially moving wing using an instrumented robotic flapper with force sensors.

scholarly journals Investigation of the Pulsed Annular Gas Jet for Chemical Reactor Cleaning

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Zvegintsev Valery Ivanovich ◽  
Nalivaichenko Denis Gennadievich ◽  
Chirkashenko Vladimir Fedorovich
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Chemical Reactor ◽  
Normal Operation ◽  
Aerodynamic Efficiency ◽  
Pulsed Jet ◽  
Pulsed Flow ◽  
Impulse System ◽  
Cylindrical Reactor ◽  
The Given

The most economical technology for production of titanium dioxide pigment is plasma-chemical syntheses with the heating of the oxygen. The highlight of the given reaction is formation of a solid phase as a result of interactions between two gases, thus brings the formation of particle deposits on the reactor walls, and to disturbing the normal operation of the technological process. For the solving of the task of reactor internal walls cleaning the pulsed gaseous system was suggested and investigated, which throws circular oxygen jet along surfaces through regular intervals. Study of aerodynamic efficiency of the impulse system was carried by numerical modeling and experimentally with the help of a specially created experimental facility. The distribution of the pulsed flow velocity at the exit of cylindrical reactor was measured. The experimental results have shown that used impulse device creates a pulsed jet with high value of the specified flow rate. It allows to get high velocities that are sufficient for the particle deposits destruction and their removal away. Designed pulsed peelings system has shown high efficiency and reliability in functioning that allows us to recommend it for wide spreading in chemical industry.

scholarly journals Phasing of dragonfly wings can improve aerodynamic efficiency by removing swirl

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (28) ◽  
pp. 1303-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R Usherwood ◽  
Fritz-Olaf Lehmann
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Model ◽  
Hind Wing ◽  
Micro Air Vehicles ◽  
Flapping Flight ◽  
Single Pair ◽  
Helicopter Rotors ◽  
Aerodynamic Efficiency ◽  
Winged Form ◽  
Low Speed ◽  
Dragonfly Wings

Dragonflies are dramatic, successful aerial predators, notable for their flight agility and endurance. Further, they are highly capable of low-speed, hovering and even backwards flight. While insects have repeatedly modified or reduced one pair of wings, or mechanically coupled their fore and hind wings, dragonflies and damselflies have maintained their distinctive, independently controllable, four-winged form for over 300 Myr. Despite efforts at understanding the implications of flapping flight with two pairs of wings, previous studies have generally painted a rather disappointing picture: interaction between fore and hind wings reduces the lift compared with two pairs of wings operating in isolation. Here, we demonstrate with a mechanical model dragonfly that, despite presenting no advantage in terms of lift, flying with two pairs of wings can be highly effective at improving aerodynamic efficiency. This is achieved by recovering energy from the wake wasted as swirl in a manner analogous to coaxial contra-rotating helicopter rotors. With the appropriate fore–hind wing phasing, aerodynamic power requirements can be reduced up to 22 per cent compared with a single pair of wings, indicating one advantage of four-winged flying that may apply to both dragonflies and, in the future, biomimetic micro air vehicles.

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