Fabrication and analysis of small flapping wings

Jason Rue, Kelvin Chang, Peter Ifju, Raphael Haftka, Tony Schmitz, Justin McIntire, Chris Tyler, Vasishta Ganguly, Anirban Chaudhuri

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Flapping winged micro air vehicles (MAVs) have been of interest due to their unique flying characteristics. Wing design is an essential aspect of making a robust flapping device. The more popular approach to obtaining an optimized wing is to completely mimic natural species. Rather, our study is only inspired by these biological flyers, suggesting that the optimum design for an active one degree of freedom flapping motion may differ. Error reduction is crucial to the experimental optimization approach, building confidence that variations in thrust are attributed to wing topology. To allow for consistency among replicate wings, the fabrication process must be controlled and accurate along with data acquisition and experimental setup. Digital image correlation and slow motion photography was used to find subtle differences and gain more knowledge of the physics behind flapping. Hovering MAVs serve as the primary application of the optimized wing.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationImaging Methods for Novel Materials and Challenging Applications - Proceedings of the 2012 Annual Conference on Experimental and Applied Mechanics
Pages337-344
Number of pages8
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013
Externally publishedYes
Event2012 Annual Conference on Experimental and Applied Mechanics - Costa Mesa, CA, United States
Duration: Jun 11 2012Jun 14 2012

Publication series

NameConference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series
Volume3
ISSN (Print)2191-5644
ISSN (Electronic)2191-5652

Conference

Conference2012 Annual Conference on Experimental and Applied Mechanics
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityCosta Mesa, CA
Period06/11/1206/14/12

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Fabrication and analysis of small flapping wings'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this