Optimization of the design and microfabrication of a biologically inspired nano-aerial flapping wing vehicle
Résumé
Insects are characterized by their agility in flight, including hovering, backward and forward movements. Studies on insect flight have revealed that the lifting force generated by vibrating wings is most effectively produced when flapping and twisting movements are in phase quadrature, i.e. one being
maximal when the other is zero. Based on these results, Nano Air Vehicles (NAV) that replicate insect wing motion using a fully flexible structure were fabricated through microfabrication using lithography methods. In this article, we will show that it is possible to design more efficient vibrating wings by replacing their fully flexible ribs with an assembly of thin and thick parts, the former constituting the compliant links and the latter composing the rigid bodies. The first advantage of this concept is that the wing optimisation can be carried out on a simple mass/spring vibrating systems with very few degrees of freedom. Another advantage is that these prototypes are more resistant because the thinness of the structure is concentrated at the
compliant link. This means that very high vibration amplitudes can be achieved without damaging the structure.
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