Flapping wing performance related to wing planform and wing kinematics

Abstract

apping wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs), the wing performance is of paramount importance. The wing performance is mainly determined by the wing planform and the wing-beat kinematics. Since the optimization of the wing planform and the wing-beat kinematics is complicated by the apping wing aerodynamics, most FWMAV designs tend to use standard wing planform and kinematics inspired by insects. In this work, the wing performance during hovering ight is investigated as a function of the wing planform and the kinematic pitching amplitude. For this purpose, a quasi-steady aerodynamic model is used to determine the aerodynamic loads. This model allows, opposed to the more computationally costly method of direct numerical simulation, its use in optimization. The average normalized lift force, the average normalized required power and the ratio between those two are visualized as a function of the design variables to dene the required wing planform and pitching amplitude for optimal hovering performance. Using dierent optimization formulations, it was found that several dierent wing designs result in nearly equal performance. It is shown that there is a lot of design freedom with respect to the design variables. This freedom is also shown in nature by the presence of a huge variety of wing planforms.