Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Importance of Flapping Kinematic Parameters in the Facilitation of the Different Flight Modes of Dragonflies

  • Published:
Journal of Bionic Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To better understand dragonflies’ remarkable flapping wing aerodynamic performance, we measured the kinematic parameters of the wings in two different flight modes (Normal Flight Mode (NFM) and Escape Flight Mode (EFM)). When the specimens switched from normal to escape mode the flapping frequency was invariant, but the stroke plane of the wings was more horizontally inclined. The flapping of both wings was adjusted to be more ventral with a change of the pitching angle that resulted in a larger angle of attack during downstroke and smaller during upstroke to affect the flow directions and the added mass effect. Noticeably, the phasing between the fore and hind pair of wings varies between two flight modes, which affects the wing-wing interaction as well as body oscillations. It is found that the momentum stream in the wake of EFM is qualitatively different from that in NFM. The change of the stroke plane angle and the varied pitching angle of the wings diverts the momentum downwards, while the smaller flapping amplitude and less phase difference between the wings compresses the momentum stream. It seems that in order to achieve greater flight maneuverability a flight vehicle needs to actively control positional angle as well as the pitching angle of the flapping wings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Shyy W, Aono H, Kang C, Liu H. An Introduction to Flapping Wing Aerodynamics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2013.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. Hassanalian M, and Abdelkefi A. Classifications, applications, and design challenges of drones: A review. Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 2017, 91, 99–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Combes S A, Rundle D E, Iwasaki J M, Crall J D. Linking biomechanics and ecology through predator-prey interactions: Flight performance of dragonflies and their prey. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2012, 215, 903–913.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Wang L H, Zhong Z. Dynamics of the dragonfly wings raised by blood circulation. Acta Mechanica, 2014, 225, 1471–1485.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  5. Rajabi H, and Gorb S N. How do dragonfly wings work? A brief guide to functional roles of wing structural components. International Journal of Odonatology, 2020, 23, 23–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Wootton R. Dragonfly flight: Morphology, performance and behaviour. International Journal of Odonatology, 2020, 23, 31–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Hefler C, Kang C, Qiu H H, Shyy W. Elements in Aerospace Engineering: Distinct Aerodynamics of Insect-Scale Flight. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2020.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Park H, Choi H. Kinematic control of aerodynamic forces on an inclined flapping wing with asymmetric strokes. Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, 2012, 7, 016008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Zheng Y Y, Wu Y H, Tang H. Force measurements of flexible tandem wings in hovering and forward flights. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 2015, 10, 016021.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Wang L H, Ye W J, Zhou Y T. Impact dynamics of a dragonfly wing. Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, 2020, 122, 889–906.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Nakata T, Henningsson P, Lin H T, Bomphrey R J. Recent progress on the flight of dragonflies and damselflies. International Journal of Odonatology, 2020, 23, 41–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Chin D D, Lentink D. Flapping wing aerodynamics: From insects to vertebrates. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2016, 219, 920–932.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Wakeling J M, Ellington C P. Dragonfly flight. II. Velocities, accelerations and kinematics of flapping flight. Journal of Experimental Biology, 1997, 200, 557–582.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Norberg R Å. Hovering flight of the dragonfly Aeschna juncea L., kinematics and aerodynamics. Swimming and Flying in Nature, 1975, 763–781.

  15. Sun M, Lan S L. A computational study of the aerodynamic forces and power requirements of dragonfly (Aeschna juncea) hovering. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2004, 207, 1887–1901.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Liu X H, Hefler C, Fu J J, Shyy W, Qiu H H. Implications of wing pitching and wing shape on the aerodynamics of a dragonfly. Journal of Fluids and Structures, 2021, 101, 103208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Michelin S, Llewellyn Smith S G. Resonance and propulsion performance of a heaving flexible wing. Physics of Fluids, 2009, 21, 071902.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Ha N S, Truong Q T, Goo N S, Park H C. Relationship between wingbeat frequency and resonant frequency of the wing in insects. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 2013, 8, 046008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Azuma A, Watanabe T. Flight performance of a dragonfly. Journal of Experimental Biology, 1988, 137, 221–252.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Rüppel G. Kinematic analysis of symmetrical flight manoeuvres of Odonata. Journal of Experimental Biology, 1989, 144, 13–42.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Nagai H, Fujita K, Murozono M. Experimental study on forewing-hindwing phasing in hovering and forward flapping flight. AIAA Journal, 2019, 57, 3779–3790.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Zou P Y, Lai Y H, Yang J T. Effects of phase lag on the hovering flight of damselfly and dragonfly. Physical Review E, 2019, 100, 063102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Hu Z, Deng X Y. Aerodynamic interaction between forewing and hindwing of a hovering dragonfly. Acta Mechanica Sinica, 2014, 30, 787–4799.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Sun X J, Gong X Y, Huang D G. A review on studies of the aerodynamics of different types of maneuvers in dragonflies. Archive of Applied Mechanics, 2017, 87, 521–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Ellington C P. The aerodynamics of hovering insect flight. V. A vortex theory. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 1984, 305, 115–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Rayner J M V. A vortex theory of animal flight. Part 1. The vortex wake of a hovering animal. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 1979, 91, 697–730.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Thomas A L R, Taylor G K, Srygley R B, Nudds R L, Bomphrey R J. Dragonfly flight: Free-flight and tethered flow visualizations reveal a diverse array of unsteady lift-generating mechanisms, controlled primarily via angle of attack. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2004, 207, 4299–4323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Bomphrey R J, Nakata T, Henningsson P, Lin H T. Flight of the dragonflies and damselflies. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2016, 371, 20150389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Hefler C, Qiu H H, Shyy W. Aerodynamic characteristics along the wing span of a dragonfly Pantala flavescens. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2018, 221, 171199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Raffel M, Willert C E, Fulvio Scarano C J K, Wereley S T, Kompenhans J. Particle Image Velocimetry: A Practical Guide. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Germany 2018.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  31. Reavis M, Luttges M. Aeroodynamic forces produced by a dragonfly. 26th Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Reno, USA, 1988.

  32. Somps C, Luttges M. Response: Dragonfly aerodynamics. Science, 1986, 231, 10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Yates G T. Dragonfly aerodynamics. Science, 1986, 231, 10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Rival D, Prangemeier T, Tropea C. The influence of airfoil kinematics on the formation of leading-edge vortices in bio-inspired flight. In: Taylor G K, Triantafyllou M S, Tropea C, Animal Locomotion, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2010, 261–271.

  35. Shyy W, Liu H. Flapping wings and aerodynamic lift: The role of leading-edge vortices. AIAA Journal, 2007, 45, 2817–2819.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Hefler C, Noda R, Qiu H H, Shyy W. Aerodynamic performance of a free-flying dragonfly — A span-resolved investigation. Physics of Fluids, 2020, 32, 041903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Usherwood J R, Lehmann F O. Phasing of dragonfly wings can improve aerodynamic efficiency by removing swirl. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2008, 5, 1303–1307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Padfield G D. Helicopter Flight Dynamics. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK, 2018.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  39. Van Buren T, Floryan D, Brunner D, Senturk U, Smits A J. Impact of trailing edge shape on the wake and propulsive performance of pitching panels. Physical Review Fluids, 2017, 2, 014702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This work was supported by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) with Project No. 16205018. The authors would like to thank Ka Ip Justin Edmund SUN for his valuable contribution in helping to conduct the experiments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Xiaohui Liu, Csaba Hefler, Wei Shyy & Huihe Qiu

Authors
  1. Xiaohui Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Csaba Hefler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wei Shyy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Huihe Qiu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Huihe Qiu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Liu, X., Hefler, C., Shyy, W. et al. The Importance of Flapping Kinematic Parameters in the Facilitation of the Different Flight Modes of Dragonflies. J Bionic Eng 18, 419–427 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42235-021-0020-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42235-021-0020-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation