סמינר מחלקה של אור פליק - כנפיים בהדפסת תלת ממד בהשראת החיפושיות: מודיפיקציית מבנה הכנף לשיפור הביצועים האווירודינמיים בעת התעופה.
School of Mechanical Engineering Seminar
Wednesday March 15.03.2023 at 14:00
Wolfson Building of Mechanical Engineering, Room 206
3D-printed Flexible Wings Inspired by Beetles: Modulating Wing Structure to Improve Aerodynamic Performance.
Or Filc
M.Sc. student of bat el
In this research, a bioinspired approach was used to develop miniature wings for a functional (untethered) drone in the size scale of an insect. By modulating the original structure of the Rose Chafer beetle wing, we sought to optimize aerodynamic performance. Insect wings are morphologically diverse, supporting a variety of flight styles. The morphological variation determines the shape of the elastic deformations that a wing will undergo during a flapping cycle; these deformations directly affect the aerodynamic properties of the wing. Such adjustments, at the level of wing structure, provided an evolutionary mechanism to adjust aerodynamics and flight performance of different insect species to a specific flight style.
In this study, we examine how structural changes in the wing’s membrane and veins, affect the aerodynamic properties of the wing. We use the Rose Chafer beetle wings as a starting point; the wings were scanned using Computed Tomography (µCT), and then were 3D modeled (CAD). The original CAD model was used as a basis for the design of four different models. The models differ in their veins position, cross-sectional shape, and tapering geometry. All models were printed with a 3D printer at a magnification of 1:3, cleaned and polished, and glued either to a thin nylon-polyethylene membrane, or to a stiff membrane made of lamination paper. The mechanical properties of the different wings were measured, as well as the power consumption, lift and drag forces generated by the wings. The elastic deformations in the wing, occurring by the aerodynamic load during rotation, were quantified using a high-speed camera.
We found that the shape of the cross-sectional area of the veins influences the mechanical properties of the wing, which is reflected in the deformations created in the membrane while the wings are rotating. The experiments also showed different lift-drag ratios for the models with the stiff membrane, but smaller differences in the aerodynamic forces created by the wings with the more flexible membrane. The results support the premise of the study, which states that slight changes in the structure of the wing are a way to control the deformations that the wing goes through, under aerodynamic load. However, they also illustrate the complexity of translating these deformations into effective flight - an engineering problem that the insects solved during evolution.
Join Zoom Meeting
