Meeting Abstract
Insects take to the air and manoeuvre in three-dimensional space by generating aerodynamic force with their flapping wings. The tuning of wing kinematics with wing morphology is crucial for their fitness because it directly affects aerodynamic performance and agility. It is also an important consideration for the design of bio-inspired unmanned air systems. In this study, we investigate the aerodynamic performance of a flapping wing using the optimization of wing kinematics with a novel CFD (computational fluid dynamics)-informed quasi-steady model. The quasi-steady model is parameterized by a Navier-Stokes-based CFD model that is capable of integrating realistic wing-body morphology, wing kinematics and aerodynamics. Our model depends on the assumption that the aerodynamic forces simulated by CFD can be decomposed into the quasi-steady forces. Using least-square fitting, we calculated the wing shape-dependent coefficients for the quasi-steady model, or, in other words, the proportional constants for the relationship between the wing kinematics and instantaneous aerodynamic force and power. The quasi-steady model is validated by comparing the aerodynamic performance of a hovering hawkmoth between a CFD model and the new quasi-steady model. It demonstrates that our quasi-steady model outperforms a conventional blade-element model while remaining computationally cheap once the model has been parameterized. We use the model to explore a large range of kinematic patterns and identify the optimal wing kinematics. We can then see whether the wing kinematics of hovering hawkmoth is the global optima, and, if not, determine the kinematic constraints that limit aerodynamic performance.
