扑翼柔性及其对气动特性的影响

以往对扑翼气动特性的研究基本上都是基于简单的匀速刚性模型,但是通过大量观察不同飞鸟的扑翼动作发现,该模型与鸟翼的实际扑动还有很大差别。鸟翼不但上扑段和下扑段所需时间不同,而且在扑动过程中,鸟翼的形状无论沿弦向或展向都存在着相当大的柔性变形。本文在原有匀速刚性模型的基础上,加入了扑动速率变化和形状变化的影响,得出新的变速柔性扑翼分析模型,使之更接近鸟翼柔性扑动的真实情况。通过对比计算发现,柔性变形对扑翼的升力与推力都有着显著影响,如果控制得当,柔性变形能大大改善扑翼的气动性能。     

膜扑翼飞行器的变形研究

最近昆虫翼的变形成了研究热点,而扑翼飞行器的变形力学研究却几乎无人问津.然而,无论昆虫、鸟类还是扑翼飞行器在飞行时,翼的变形都是存在的,要精确计算翼扑动产生的气动力,必须考虑其变形.本文比较了导致变形产生的膜扑翼飞行器的惯性力和气动力在一个周期中的变化情况,发现它们的峰值比值为2左右,然后提出了在随体坐标系中的固支边界条件,采用有限元法计算了惯性力和气动力分别对变形的影响,发现扑翼飞行器的气动力对变形的影响是不可忽略的重要因素,而惯性力与气动力的合力引起的最大正变形发生在下扑初始阶段,最大负变形发生在上扑初始阶段.本文为扑翼飞行器的设计提供了力学分析基础.     

基于三路舵机驱动的扑翼飞行模型气动特性研究

扑动而形成非定常气动现象是扑翼飞行过程中产生高升力的主要原因。本文以Ellington实验的鹰蛾翅膀为原形,设计扑翼实验及数值计算模型。通过压差传感器对翅膀模型上翼面固定位置进行测压,分析前缘涡的产生及脱落情况(考虑动压效应)。测量上下翼面固定位置处的压差,揭示扑翼飞行中产生高升力的主要原因。利用烟风洞观察扑翼模型周围流场结构及特殊涡产生变化情况。另外,根据Ellington提供的升力关系式估算了扑翼模型在一个周期内的平均升力。最后,基于三维欧拉方程对扑翼飞行气动特性进行数值模拟,计算结果与实验吻合良好。     

前后双扑翼水平距离及相位差对其气动性能的影响

通过在动态网格上求解Navier-Stokes方程,对前后双扑翼的非定常粘性流场进行了数值模拟和气动干扰分析,考察了前后翼不同水平距离和不同相位差对其气动力和气动效率的影响。结果表明,扑动前翼和静止后翼间的气动干扰在各种不同水平距离下都有利于气动特性的改善,但气动干扰的作用随着前后翼水平距离的增大而减弱;前后双翼扑动的相位差是影响气动性能的重要参数,两翼间的气动干扰是否有利则与相位差和水平距离有直接联系。     

仿生扑翼飞行机器人翅型的研制与实验研究

模仿昆虫和小鸟飞行的扑翼飞行机器人将举升、悬停和推进功能集于一个扑翼系统,与固定翼和旋翼完全不同,因此研究只能从生物仿生开始。生物飞行的极端复杂性使得进行完整和精确的扑翼飞行分析非常复杂,因此本文在仿生学进展基础上,通过一些合适的假设和简化,建立了仿生翅运动学和空气动力学模型,并以此为基础研制了多种翅型。研制了气动力测量实验平台,对各种翅型进行了实验研究。实验结果表明,研制的翅型都能产生一定的升力,其中柔性翅具有较好的运动性能和气动性能,并且拍动频率和拍动幅度对升力有较大影响。     

个体水平间距对群组中扑翼气动性能的影响

研究群组中个体之间的非定常流动机理,可以为仿生飞行器集群运动提供理论基础。采用基于有限元的计算流体力学方法,对前飞状态的扑翼群组个体之间水平间距对气动性能的影响进行研究。研究发现,水平间距对扑翼气动性能具有显著影响。在一定的垂直间距下,群组中扑翼可以在较小的水平间距下获得最佳的推力性能,在较大的水平间距下可以获得最佳的升力性能。扑翼气动性能的变化主要与群组中前翼和后翼的脱落涡相互作用密切相关。     

扑翼飞行器带翼刀机翼气动特性实验研究

通过进行微型扑翼飞行器低速风洞试验,研究了带弯度机翼下翼面翼刀对扑翼飞行器升阻特性的影响。文中进行了带翼刀机翼和不带翼刀机翼在不同迎角下的风洞吹风试验。试验结果表明,带翼刀机翼升力系数大于不带翼刀机翼升力系数,从而证明了翼刀可以阻止机翼下表面气流展向流动,起到增加机翼升力的作用。当扑翼在小迎角飞行时,带翼刀机翼可以有效地提高扑翼的气动效率,改善扑翼的飞行性能。研究结果可为带翼刀机翼在扑翼飞行器上的应用提供技术支持。     

扑翼飞行器的凸轮摇杆型扑动机构设计与气动力学分析

为了提高扑翼飞行器的飞行性能,借鉴大型鸟类的飞行运动特征,设计了一种以凸轮摇杆为扑动机构的新型扑翼飞行器,建立了扑动机构的运动学和气动力学模型.结果表明:通过大型鸟类翅翼扑动规律对凸轮机构进行优化设计,得到了扑翼下扑占据整个扑动行程的60％左右;而提出的凸轮摇杆扑动机构的运动学模型,能够求解扑翼飞行器的相关运动参数.基...     

两串列扑翼的相位差对平均推力影响机理的实验研究

在一个低雷诺数的循环水洞中,实验研究了前后翅翼之间的相位差对两串列扑翼平均推力的影响.利用一个三分量的Kistler 压力传感器来测量扑翼的瞬时力;利用一个数字粒子测速仪系统(TSI DPIV) 来测量扑翼的前缘涡以及其周围的流场. 当相位差从0° 增加到360°,前翅的平均推力随着相位差正弦变化;前翅平均推力的增加是由于后翅的前缘涡和滞止区域增加了前翅的有效攻角. 后翅平均推力曲线有一个明显的V 字形低谷.低谷处较小的平均推力是由于前翅的脱落涡抑制了后翅前缘涡的形成并且减小了其有效攻角.当间距为0.5倍弦长相位差约为290°时,前后翅翼平均推力系数的合值能达到最大值0.667,明显大于两倍的单翼平均推力系数(2×0.255).      

一种用于研究鹰蛾悬停飞行的扑翼实验装置

研制了一套新型的能够在空气中模拟鹰蛾悬停飞行的扑翼模型实验装置。装置由模型翼面和主体、舵机驱动单元、运动控制与检测、测力天平和采集系统等五部分构成。模型在计算机的控制下按照鹰蛾悬停飞行的活体观测数据完成扑翼运动。与此同时,系统采集得到扑翼的实际运动曲线以及模型所受到的非定常气动力。实验结果表明,模型扑翼运动能很好地复现鹰蛾悬停飞行的动态过程;所测得的气动升力与鹰蛾的悬停条件相一致;由模型实验的升阻力数据所得的挥拍面前倾角也与活体观测结果相吻合。该模拟实验装置运动调节灵活,执行便捷,操控可靠,且能够测量空气中的微小非定常气动力,这为进一步深入研究扑翼运动的机理提供了方便的手段。     

Experimental investigation of the effect of chordwise flexibility on the aerodynamics of flapping wings in hovering flight

Ornithopters or mechanical birds produce aerodynamic lift and thrust through the flapping motion of their wings. Here, we use an experimental apparatus to investigate the effects of a wing's twisting stiffness on the generated thrust force and the power required at different flapping frequencies. A flapping wing system and an experimental set-up were designed to measure the unsteady aerodynamic and inertial forces, power usage and angular speed of the flapping wing motion. A data acquisition system was set-up to record important data with the appropriate sampling frequency. The aerodynamic performance of the vehicle under hovering (i.e., no wind) conditions was investigated. The lift and thrust that were produced were measured for different flapping frequencies and for various wings with different chordwise flexibilities. The results show the manner in which the elastic deformation and inertial flapping forces affect the dynamical behavior of the wing. It is shown that the generalization of the actuator disk theory is, at most, only valid for rigid wings, and for flexible wings, the power P varies by a power of about 1.0  of the thrust T. This aerodynamic information can also be used as benchmark data for unsteady flow solvers.     

蜻蜓非均匀柔性前翼扑动飞行的气动性能研究

为了探究柔性对于蜻蜓前翼在扑动向前飞行时的气动性能, 本文根据蜻蜓前翼的实际参数建立蜻蜓前翼模型, 提出了两种柔性分布方式即均匀柔性分布和沿蜻蜓前翼弦向的变柔性分布. 本文通过STAR-CCM+软件, 首先采用重叠网格和双向流固耦合技术, 用于实现蜻蜓前翼的扑动流固耦合, 其次通过改变蜻蜓前翼固体区域的杨氏模量函数从而实现蜻蜓前翼的两种不同柔性分布. 结果表明, 在均匀柔性分布条件下, 柔性翼在杨氏模量较小时的升力系数和阻力系数曲线的变化规律滞后于刚性翼半周期并且给飞行增加阻力, 但是随着杨氏模量的逐渐增加即柔性逐渐减小, 蜻蜓前翼受到的阻力减小, 获得的推力增加且推力给予蜻蜓前飞的动量增量、加速度以及时均推力系数先增加后减小. 在合理的非均匀柔性分布条件下, 柔性翼显著提高推力系数峰值和时均推力系数, 在扑动前飞时, 给予蜻蜓前翼较大的动量增量以及加速度. 两种柔性分布方式的蜻蜓前翼与刚性翼对比之下, 蜻蜓前翼在柔性为非均匀柔性分布时可以获得更好的气动性能.      

Measurement of Thrust and Lift Forces Associated With Drag of Compliant Flapping Wing for Micro Air Vehicles Using a New Test Stand Design

Compliant wing designs have the potential of improving flapping wing Micro-Air Vehicles (MAVs). Designing compliant wings requires a detailed understanding of the effect of compliance on the generation of thrust and lift forces. The low force and high-frequency measurements associated with these forces necessitated a new versatile test stand design that uses a 250 g load cell along with a rigid linear air bearing to minimize friction and the dynamic behavior of the test stand while isolating only the stationary thrust or lift force associated with drag generated by the wing. Moreover, this stand is relatively inexpensive and hence can be easily utilized by wing designers to optimize the wing compliance and shape. The frequency response of the wing is accurately resolved, along with wing compliance on the thrust and lift profiles. The effects of the thrust and lift force generated as a function of flapping frequency were also determined. A semi-empirical aerodynamic model of the thrust and lift generated by the flapping wing MAV on the new test stand was developed and used to evaluate the measurements. This model accounted for the drag force and the effects of the wing compliance. There was good correlation between the model predictions and experimental measurements. Also, the increase in average thrust due to increased wing compliance was experimentally quantified for the first time using the new test stand. Thus, our measurements for the first time reveal the detrimental influence of excessive compliance on drag forces during high frequency operation. In addition, we were also able to observe the useful effect of compliance on the generation of extra thrust at the beginning and end of upstrokes and downstrokes of the flapping motion.     

On the aerodynamic characteristics of hovering rigid and flexible hawkmoth-like wings

Insect wings are subjected to fluid, inertia and gravitational forces during flapping flight. Owing to their limited rigidity, they bent under the influence of these forces. Numerical study by Hamamoto et al. (Adv Robot 21(1–2):1–21, 2007) showed that a flexible wing is able to generate almost as much lift as a rigid wing during flapping. In this paper, we take a closer look at the relationship between wing flexibility (or stiffness) and aerodynamic force generation in flapping hovering flight. The experimental study was conducted in two stages. The first stage consisted of detailed force measurement and flow visualization of a rigid hawkmoth-like wing undergoing hovering hawkmoth flapping motion and simple harmonic flapping motion, with the aim of establishing a benchmark database for the second stage, which involved hawkmoth-like wing of different flexibility performing the same flapping motions. Hawkmoth motion was conducted at Re = 7,254 and reduced frequency of 0.26, while simple harmonic flapping motion at Re = 7,800 and 11,700, and reduced frequency of 0.25. Results show that aerodynamic force generation on the rigid wing is governed primarily by the combined effect of wing acceleration and leading edge vortex generated on the upper surface of the wing, while the remnants of the wake vortices generated from the previous stroke play only a minor role. Our results from the flexible wing study, while generally supportive of the finding by Hamamoto et al. (Adv Robot 21(1–2):1–21, 2007), also reveal the existence of a critical stiffness constant, below which lift coefficient deteriorates significantly. This finding suggests that although using flexible wing in micro air vehicle application may be beneficial in term of lightweight, too much flexibility can lead to deterioration in flapping performance in terms of aerodynamic force generation. The results further show that wings with stiffness constant above the critical value can deliver mean lift coefficient almost the same as a rigid wing when executing hawkmoth motion, but lower than the rigid wing when performing a simple harmonic motion. In all cases studied (7,800 ≤ Re ≤ 11,700), the Reynolds number does not alter the force generation significantly.     

Effects of unsteady deformation of flapping wing on its aerodynamic forces

Effects of unsteady deformation of a flapping model insect wing on its aerodynamic force production are studied by solving the Navier-Stokes equations on a dynamically deforming grid.Aerodynamic forces on the flapping wing are not much affected by considerable twist,but affected by camber deformation.The effect of combined camber and twist deformation is similar to that of camber deformation.With a deformation of 6% camber and 20°twist(typical values observed for wings of many insects),lift is increased bv 10%～20%and lift-to-drag ratio by around 10%compared with the case of a rigid flat-plate wing.As a result.the deformation can increase the maximum lift coefficient of an insect.and reduce its power requirement for flight.For example,for a hovering bumblebee with dynamically deforming wings(6?mber and 20°twist),aerodynamic power required is reduced by about 16%compared with the case of rigid wings.     

Experimental study on interaction of aerodynamics with flexible wings of flapping vehicles in hovering and cruise flight

Flapping wings are promising lift and thrust generators, especially for very low Reynolds numbers. To investigate aeroelastic effects of flexible wings (specifically, wing’s twisting stiffness) on hovering and cruising aerodynamic performance, a flapping-wing system and an experimental setup were designed and built. This system measures the unsteady aerodynamic and inertial forces, power usage, and angular speed of the flapping wing motion for different flapping frequencies and for various wings with different chordwise flexibility. Aerodynamic performance of the vehicle for both no wind (hovering) and cruise condition was investigated. Results show how elastic deformations caused by interaction of inertial and aerodynamic forces with the flexible structure may affect specific power consumption. This information was used here to find a more suitable structural design. The best selected design in our tests performs up to 30% better than others (i.e., less energy consumption for the same lift or thrust generation). This measured aerodynamic information could also be used as a benchmarking data for unsteady flow solvers.     

Bond graph modeling of a typical flapping wing micro-air-vehicle with the elastic articulated wings

In the present research, a new comprehensive model of a flexible articulated flapping wing robot using the bond graph approach is presented. The flapping kinematics of a two-section wing is introduced via the bond graph based approach on a hybrid mechanism providing amplitude and phase characteristics. The aerodynamic quasi-steady approach equipped with stall correlation is utilized according to the reduced flapping frequency and the angle of attack ranges. The local flow velocity and the wing position are calculated in both wing and body coordinates taking into account rotation and translation of the wing different parts. Estimation of the effective angle of attack is performed by calculating the instantaneous torque distribution on both wing sections. Aeroelastic modeling is employed in which the wing structure is assumed as an elastic Euler–Bernoulli beam at the leading edge with three linear torsional modes. In this novel integrated bond graph model, computation of the performance indices including the average lift and thrust, consumed and produced powers by flapping and mechanical efficiency are presented. Due to existence of the numerous geometric and kinematic parameters in articulated flexible flapping wing, such a model is essential for design and optimization. Consequently, an example of a typical parametric study and the results validation are carried out. It is indicated that the sensitivity of the bird performance to relative change in design variables would increase for out of phase flapping, second part stiffness, flapping amplitude, frequency and velocity respectively. It is interesting that by employing the reverse-phase flapping which is possible only via articulated wings, the maximum efficiency could be achieved. In addition, it is shown that adjusting the wing torsional stiffness is a crucial item in design of passive flapping robots. The key advantage of the two-section flapping wing is depicted as the controlling capability of the angle of attack in the outer part of the wing. Finally, the improved version of the bird is being addressed by approximately 15% progress in propulsive efficiency.