Nonlinear deformations of flapping wings on a micro air vehicle

Wing kinematics and wing flexibility are critical to MAV designs because they affect the wing planform, as well as the shape of the airfoil, such as camber and thickness. Therefore, the effect of structural deformations on the aerodynamic performance of a MAV is significant Such analysis is rather complex due to the many inherent complexities in the flow arising from a wide variety of flow conditions and the presence of moving and deforming boundaries arising from the flapping flexible/deformable wings. The wings are highly flexible and can undergo large deformations as a result of the aerodynamic loading. This deformation can, in turn, have a significant effect on the flow, which can then alter the loading itself. In this study, the presence of aerodynamic loads is not included in order to simplify the analysis so that only the effect of prescribed dynamic motion and wing flexibility on the wing deformations can be investigated. Unlike previous studies, the present study includes the effect of externally applied dynamic loads and time-dependent angular velocity and the influence of the coupling among the rigid-body motion, large elastic deformations, and inertial forces on the motion and deformation of the wing. In particular, this study simulates the motion of a dragonfly, which is representative of MAVs.