Flowchart-aided design of a novel spatial flapping wing mechanism

Abstract

The flapping wing mechanism is an important member in flapping wing micro air vehicles. In this paper, a novel flapping wing mechanism and a framework to facilitate its design are introduced. High degree of symmetry and being free from sliders are two important features of this mechanism. The mentioned design framework consists of three algorithms for dimensional synthesis and one algorithm for mechanical design, which are presented in four flowcharts. In order to achieve the dimensional synthesis flowcharts, a parametric dimensional synthesis is performed, which includes examining the effects of different parameters on the important variables of design. The flowchart of mechanical design facilitates determining the optimized thicknesses of the mechanism members. The force analysis of the mechanism, as a part of mechanical design algorithm, is conducted using a MATLAB code based on the D'Alembert and superposition principles. An example of designing the mechanism using the introduced algorithms, a manufactured sample of the mechanism, and some alternative structures for the mechanism are presented in the final sections of the paper.