Abstract
The performance improvement for a propulsion mechanism of Weis-Fogh type was attempted by using an elastic rubber wing. The elastic wings were made of rubber and wood with the rubber rate of 0%, 25%, and 50% in the wing area. The thrust and drag on the wing were measured for various velocity ratio V/U, opening angles of α=15° and α=30°. The average thrust coefficient and average thrust efficiency of the elastic wing were increased compared to those of the rigid wing, and the average drag coefficient was decreased; overall, by using elastic wing, the thrust, drag, and efficiency characteristics were improved. For an elastic wing with opening angle α=15° and rubber rate Rs=50% which relatively had the greatest performance improvement, thrust coefficient was increased by 30%, drag coefficient was decreased by 21%, and propulsive efficiency was increased by 17% in average compared to the rigid wing with Rs=0%.
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