Flapping-flight (I): development of a DC motor-based resonant flapping mechanism for large wing strokes

Abstract

This study addresses quantifying the performance of an insect-inspired flapping wing prototype under vacuum condition. The flapping motion was produced by using a single electric motor. Instead of exposing in a vacuum condition, the wings of the flapping prototype were replaced by a pair of rigid cylindrical members that give comparable inertia yet with negligible drag force or aerodynamic damping to achieve the equivalent vacuum environment. For both of the setups, with wings and cylindrical members and to examine the kinematics of the flapping motion, the flapping motion of the system was captured using high-speed video.. The aerodynamic drag forces generated by the prototype were measured based on the captured flapping kinematics. The observations made should benefit in future development of flapping wing vehicles capable of sustained flight.