Experimental Investigation on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Bio-mimetic Flapping Wing with Macro-Fiber Composites

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a bio-mimetic flapping wing and the aerodynamic characteristics of a flexible flapping wing. First, the flapping wing is designed to produce flapping, twisting and camber motions by using the bio-mimetic design approach. The structural model for macro-fiber composite (MFC) actuator is established, and the structural analyses of the smart flapping wing with the actuator are performed to determine the wing configuration for the maximum camber motion. The analysis model is verified with the experimental data of the smart flapping wing. Second, the aerodynamic tests are performed 􀂍􀂖􀂙 the smart flapping wing in a subsonic wind tunnel, and the aerodynamic forces are measured for various test conditions. Additionally, the effects of camber and chordwise wing flexibility on unsteady and quasi-steady aerodynamic characteristics are discussed. The experimental results demonstrate that the effect of the camber generated by the MFC produces sufficient aerodynamic benefit, the chordwise wing flexibility is one of the important parameters affecting to the aerodynamic performance, and the lift produced in quasi-steady flow condition is mostly affected by the forward speed and effective angle of attack.