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Effect of wing flexibility on the aerodynamic performance of a robotic dragonfly

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Abstract

To investigate the effect of wing covering and the wing rib over the aerodynamic efficiency, a micro aerial vehicle (MAV) like dragonfly with a two paired wing modell is developed and tested in a wind-tunnel with various composite wings. Four different composite forms of wings, namely R-Rigid, SR-Semi Rigid, F-Flexible and HF-Highly Flexible are considered. Results demonstrated that the leading edge rib has an important role in the selection of wing than cord rib. Low aerodynamic performance is observed with R and HF wings, however, SR wing with leading edge rib of 0.8 mm and wing skin thickness of 127 μm exhibits greater aerodynamic efficiency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, GIT, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Prafulla Kumar Swain, Siva Prasad Dora, Suryanarayana Murthy Batulla & Shoba Chintada

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

    Ashok K. Barik

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  1. Prafulla Kumar Swain
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  2. Siva Prasad Dora
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  3. Suryanarayana Murthy Batulla
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  4. Shoba Chintada
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  5. Ashok K. Barik
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Correspondence to Siva Prasad Dora.

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Swain, P.K., Dora, S.P., Batulla, S.M. et al. Effect of wing flexibility on the aerodynamic performance of a robotic dragonfly. Arch Appl Mech 92, 1149–1156 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00419-022-02138-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00419-022-02138-w

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