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Natural Locomotion in Fluids and on Surfaces pp 235–245Cite as

Efficient Flapping Flight Using Flexible Wings Oscillating at Resonance

Part of the The IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications book series (IMA,volume 155)

Abstract

We use fully-coupled three-dimensional computer simulations to examine aerodynamics of elastic wings oscillating at resonance. Wings are modeled as planar elastic plates plunging sinusoidally at a low Reynolds number. The wings are tilted from horizontal, thereby generating asymmetric flow patterns and non-zero net aerodynamic forces. Our simulations reveal that resonance oscillations of elastic wings drastically enhance aerodynamic lift, thrust, and efficiency. We show that flexible wings driven at resonance by a simple harmonic stroke generate lift comparable to that of small insects that employ a significantly more complicated stroke kinematics. The results of our simulations point to the feasibility of using flexible resonant wings with a simple stroke for designing efficient microscale flying vehicles.

Key words

  • Low Reynolds number
  • flapping flight
  • flexible wing
  • resonance
  • lattice Boltzmann model
  • MAV

The work was supported in part by the NSF through TeraGrid computational resources

AMS(MOS) subject classifications. Primary 76Z10, 74F10, 76M28

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Unless stated otherwise, all dimensional values are given in lattice Boltzmann units.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, USA

    Hassan Masoud & Alexander Alexeev

Authors
  1. Hassan Masoud
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  2. Alexander Alexeev
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexander Alexeev .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Courant Institute of Math Sciences, New York University, Mercer Street 251, New York City, 10012, New York, USA

    Stephen Childress

  2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Avenue 77, Cambridge, 02139, Massachusetts, USA

    Anette Hosoi

  3. , Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Michigan, Auto Lab 2027, Ann Arbor, 48109, Michigan, USA

    William W. Schultz

  4. , Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, 14850, New York, USA

    Jane Wang

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Masoud, H., Alexeev, A. (2012). Efficient Flapping Flight Using Flexible Wings Oscillating at Resonance. In: Childress, S., Hosoi, A., Schultz, W., Wang, J. (eds) Natural Locomotion in Fluids and on Surfaces. The IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications, vol 155. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3997-4_19

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