Objectives
- Understand nonlinear coupling and physics of the unsteady aerodynamics, structural dynamics and flight dynamics associated with biological flight of insects, birds, and bats
- Manipulate the multi-disciplinary physical phenomena to meet desired performance characteristics, e.g. lift, thrust, and power
- Apply knowledge of the relevant fluid physics and structural dynamics to Micro-Air Vehicle design
Approaches
| Highlights
Achievements
- Importance of kinematics on the resulting flow structures to enhance lift generation for flapping wing flight
- Enhanced aerodynamic performance due to suitable wing deformations and its scaling relationships
- Detailed comparisons and validations against experiments to assess numerical and experimental uncertainties
Future Work
- Universal aeroelastic scaling: flying vs swimming
- Benefits of anisotropic wing structures
- Formulation of analytical models
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