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Bio-inspired Flapping Wing Aerodynamics: A Review

  • Review Paper
  • Published:
Journal of the Indian Institute of Science Aims and scope

Abstract

The design of micro aerial vehicles has been long inspired by biological flyers such as birds and insects. The aerodynamic principles of flapping wing flights are complex due to the rapid wing motion and the inherent complex vortex dynamics. Several experimental and numerical investigations have been carried out in the past decades to uncover the mechanisms responsible for the improved aerodynamic capability of flapping wings. This paper provides an overview of the aerodynamics of flapping insect wings. After providing a brief overview of the aerodynamics of a single wing, we discuss how the vortex dynamics are altered in the case of tandem wings. A significant challenge to designing a stable MAV is the environmental effects stemming from the gust and ground presence. In this paper, we present how the force generation is altered due to such effects. Moreover, we point out unsolved research questions on insect flight whose answers could greatly help to improve the design of flapping wing MAVs.

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Notes

  1. It is a mode of flight in which the lift produced by the wings exactly balances the weight of the insect, and the thrust force equalizes the drag. As a result, the insect remains stationary in air.

  2. It is the plane along which the insect flaps its wings. In reality, the flapping wing exhibits complex motion like the figure-of-eight. However, it is a standard assumption to confine its movement along a plane, as shown in figure 1.

  3. Dipole jet has been identified in the inclined stroke plane flapping as the jet of air produced in between the counter rotating vortex produced during each flapping cycle. The series of vortices created through several cycles forms a jet underneath the wing which aids to the lift production.

  4. It is defined as the line integral of velocity around a closed contour and is an important quantity in aerodynamics. The closed contour chosen always encloses the wing. Larger the circulation around the wing, the larger the lift force generated.

  5. Gust is a transient fluid dynamic disturbance caused by sudden change in relative air velocity. A few reasons for the generation of gust are turbulence, wind shear or solar heating and cooling near the ground, and flow past any natural or anthropogenic obstacles.

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Acknowledgements

Our research group’s work on insect aerodynamics was financially supported by grants received from ARDB. We greatly acknowledge the HPCE at IIT Madras. The first author acknowledges the support received from CSIR-NAL during his doctoral studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Systems Engineering Division, CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Old Airport Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560017, India

    M. De Manabendra

  2. School of Mechanical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Goa, Farmagudi, Goa, 403401, India

    Y. Sudhakar

  3. Water Resources Department, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Srinidhi Gadde

  4. School of Engineering, University of West of England, Frenchay Campus, Bristol, BS161QY, UK

    Deepthi Shanmugam

  5. Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India

    S. Vengadesan

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  1. M. De Manabendra
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  2. Y. Sudhakar
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  3. Srinidhi Gadde
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  4. Deepthi Shanmugam
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  5. S. Vengadesan
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Correspondence to S. Vengadesan.

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De Manabendra, M., Sudhakar, Y., Gadde, S. et al. Bio-inspired Flapping Wing Aerodynamics: A Review. J Indian Inst Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41745-024-00420-0

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