Meeting Abstract

P3-156  Tuesday, Jan. 6 15:30  Non-uniform Material Properties Observed in Lycaenidae Wing Veins DAVIS, J.L.*; MCCLOUD, E.S.; FIELD, B.S.; University of Southern Indiana; University of Southern Indiana; University of Southern Indiana jldavis2@usi.edu

Insect wing flexural stiffness has already been shown to behave non-linearly along the wing span in other insect wings. We have shown that flexural stiffness of butterfly wings peak at approximately the 40-60^th percentile of the total wing span. However, little work has been done to understand how each component of the wing (Veins and Membrane) contributes to the total stiffness of the wing. Separating the key components of the butterfly wing allows not only for the study of the contribution of flexural stiffness of each component, but allows for study of the material properties through finite element modeling. Here we use finite element models to show that material properties are not uniform throughout the Lycaenidae wing veins. These results have direct implications on flight; they could play a roll in the passive “clap and fling” mechanism observed in these butterflies.