02.4 - Applied Aerodynamics
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF MICRO-ELECTROMECHANICAL FLYING INSECT FLAPPING WINGS AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE
P. Czekalowski, Air Force Institute of Technology, Poland; K.-S. Sibilski, Institute of Aviation, Poland; A. Zyluk, Air Force Academy, Poland
There is great interest in developing micro air vehicles (MAVs) that can operate indoors as currently there is no practical autonomous or remote-controlled airborne system capable of operating in this environment. Such a system would be useful for search and rescue, high-risk inspection or reconnaissance in buildings or other confined spaces. The most suitable type of MAV for this application appears to be a flapping-wing micro air vehicle (FMAV) based on insect-like flapping-wing flight. This mode of flight offers the abilities to sustain hover, operate at low flying speeds and perform rapid and complex manoeuvres in confined spaces, which is seen in nature with two-winged insects (Diptera). To deepen the understanding of flapping-wing aerodynamics, necessary for the development of FMAVs, there is a need for high-quality experimental data on the subject as it is currently lacking. The aim of this paper is to address this need by describing experimental studies on insect-like flapping wings.