2.5-dimensional insect-mimetic wing model for flapping wing nano air vehicles and design window search for manufacturable solutions using polymer micromachining

Abstract

Insect flapping wings undergo large deformations such as feathering and cambering for creating large thrust forces. Hence, insect-mimetic wings for flapping wing nano air vehicles (FWNAVs) will replicate these characteristic deformations. For the purpose of realizing this type of wings, in this study, a 2.5-dimensional (2.5-D) insect-mimetic wing model for FWNAVs is proposed. The proposed wing model consists of the leading-edge, the central vein, the root vein, and the membrane, all of which are described by shell elements. The feathering and cambering of the proposed wing model can be caused by the aerodynamic pressure. Furthermore, the proposed wing can be fabricated using polymer micromachining because of the complete 2.5-D structure. In order to demonstrate these capabilities, we perform the design window (DW) search. The DW is defined as the existing area of satisfactory design solutions in the design parameter space, where each solution can produce a sufficient camber. The DWs for the leading-edge, the central and root veins are searched continuously using the geometrically nonlinear finite element analysis under quasi-steady aerodynamic modeling. The thickness is chosen as the design parameter, while the other parameters are set following actual insects and polymer materials. Finally, we determine the final solutions from the DWs for a specific polymer micromachining technique. In our future work, the proposed solutions will be manufactured for the future miniaturization of FWNAVs.