Abstract
Investigation of flapping wings of insect are focused on low Reynolds number effect and the unsteady aerodynamic properties. Interaction between flapping wing of insects and the air flow became one of important and fundamental research topics in micro air vehicle. The present work is aim to investigate the flow behavior of flapping wings of tethered scarab beetle. The generation mechanisms of velocity field and vortex formation are visualized with smoke-wire method. Tethered flight of the drone beetle shows the motion with elastic deformation of flapping wing. Measured flapping frequency is about 71 Hz and its frequency is higher than for dragonfly and butterfly. Beetle decreases negative lift by feathering motion in the upstroke process and increase positive lift by effect of wake capture in the downstroke process.
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Kazutaka Kitagawa: He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 1995 from Aichi Institute of Technology. He worked in Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aichi Institute of Technology as an assistant professor since 1996–2004, University of Kentucky as a visiting scholar in 2005–06 and Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aichi Institute of Technology as an associate professor since 2005. His research interests are supersonic flow, hypersonic flow, computational fluid dynamics, aerodynamics and biofluid mechanics.
Mitsutoshi Sakakibara: He is graduate student at Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aichi Institute of Technology. He received his Bachelor’s degreesree in Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2007 from Aichi Institute of Technology. His research interests are aerodynamics and biofluid mechanics.
Michiru Yasuhara: He received his Bachelor’s degreesree in 1951 from University of Tokyo and his Dr.(Eng) in 1962 from the same university. He worked in Department of Aerospace Engineering, Nagoya University as professor since 1967–91 and Cornell University as a visiting associate professor in 1963–65. He works in Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aichi Institute of Technology as professor since 1992. His research interests are hypersonic flow, rarefied gas dynamics, computational fluid dynamics and shock waves.
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Kitagawa, K., Sakakibara, M. & Yasuhara, M. Visualization of flapping wing of the drone beetle. J Vis 12, 393–400 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03181882
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03181882