Effect of Wing Deformation and Flexibility on the Aerodynamics of Insect Flight

0828147米塔尔用扭曲、弯曲和变形的柔性翅膀进行扑翼飞行是动物空中运动的标志，但事实证明，用人类设计的翅膀在微型飞行器（MAV）中实现生物水平的空中性能是难以实现的。研究员会以蝴蝶为昆虫模型，研究翅膀变形和灵活性对昆虫飞行空气动力学和飞行特性的影响。蝴蝶是具有高度可变形翅膀的大型昆虫，表现出各种飞行行为，因此是本研究的良好模型。拟议的研究有三个主要组成部分。第一个是昆虫飞行研究，使用高速，高分辨率的数字视频测量技术，提取详细的翅膀和身体的运动学，运动和蝴蝶在自由飞行的加速度。第二个是参数化的蝴蝶机翼结构和验证机翼有限元模型耦合到计算流体动力学求解器的发展。最后，蝴蝶飞行的计算建模和分析，包括分析水平和爬升飞行，飞行机动以及主动和被动变形的翅膀计划。这项研究将显着推进我们的理解，微妙的空气动力学效应有关的翅膀变形和灵活性的昆虫，没有解决的日期。PI还希望使用高保真计算建模与生物研究紧密协调来推进这些复杂流的计算建模，以提取对扑翼飞行的基本见解。 与昆虫飞行研究和结构参数化有关的研究的很大一部分将由本科生进行。这些学生将有机会在一个多学科团队中工作，解决生物学，流体力学，结构动力学，实验测试和计算建模等问题。昆虫飞行的话题很容易引起各级学生的兴趣，PI将利用这一点与哥伦比亚特区的地区磁铁高中和学校开展年度推广活动。

0828147 MittalFlapping flight with flexible wings that twist, bend and morph is a hallmark of aerial locomotion in animals, but achieving biological levels of aerial performance in micro-aerial vehicles (MAVs) with human-designed wings has proven elusive. The PIs will study the role of wing deformation and flexibility on the aerodynamics and flight characteristics of insects using butterflies as the insect models to study the impact of wing deformation and flexibility on insect flight aerodynamics. Butterflies are large insects with highly deformable wings that show a variety of flight behaviors and as such, are good models for this study. The proposed research has three main components. The first is Insect flight studies using high-speed, high resolution digital videogrammetry techniques to extract the detailed wing and body kinematics, motions and accelerations of butterflies in free flight. The second is parameterization of butterfly wing structure and development of validated wing finite-element models coupled to a computational fluid dynamics solver. Finally, computational modeling and analysis of butterfly flight including analysis of level and climbing flight, flight maneuvers as well as active and passive deformation of the wings are planned. This study will significantly advance our understanding of subtle aerodynamic effects related to wing deformation and flexibility in insects that are not addressed to date. The PIs also expect to advance computational modeling of these complex flows using high fidelity computational modeling in tight coordination with biological investigations to extract fundamental insight into flapping flight. A significant portion of the research relating to insect flight studies and structural parameterization will be carried out by undergraduate students. These students will have a chance to work in a multidisciplinary team addressing issues in biology, fluid mechanics, structural dynamics, experimental testing and computational modeling. The topic of insect flight is one that easily catches the interest of students of all levels, and the PIs will leverage this to conduct annual outreach activities with area magnet high schools and schools in the District of Columbia.