Design and Aerodynamic Analysis of Dragonfly-like Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle

Dragonflies have naturally high flying ability and flight maneuverability, making them more adaptable to harsh ecological environments. In this paper, a flapping wing bionic air vehicle with three-degrees-of-freedom is designed and manufactured by simulating the flight mode of dragonfly. Firstly, the body structure of dragonfly was analyzed, and then the design scheme of flapping wing micro air vehicle was proposed based on the flight motion characteristics and musculoskeletal system of dragonfly. By optimizing the configuration and using Adams to do kinematic simulation, it is shown that the designed structure can make the wings move in an 8 shape trajectory, and the motion in three directions can maintain good consistency, with good dynamic performance. Based on CFD simulation method, we analyzed that the wing has the conditions to achieve flight with good aerodynamic performance at the incoming flow speed of 5 m s(-1) and frequency of 4 Hz, and studied the effects of angle of attack and flutter frequency on the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft. Finally, the force measurement test of the aircraft prototype is carried out using a force balance and a small wind tunnel. The test results show that the prototype can provide the average lift of 3.62 N and the average thrust of 2.54 N, which are in good agreement with the simulation results.

Automated summary

This paper designs and manufactures a flapping wing bionic air vehicle based on the flight mode of dragonfly to enhance its adaptability to harsh environments. The body structure of dragonfly is analyzed and a design scheme for the micro air vehicle is proposed. Kinematic simulation is conducted to optimize the configuration and verify good dynamic performance. CFD simulation is used to analyze the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft, and force measurement tests are performed, showing good agreement with simulation results.