Integration of Polyimide Flexible PCB Wings in Northeastern Aerobat

The principal aim of this Master's thesis is to propel the optimization of the membrane wing structure of the Northeastern Aerobat through origami techniques and enhancing its capacity for secure hovering within confined spaces. Bio-inspired drones offer distinctive capabilities that pave the way for innovative applications, encompassing wildlife monitoring, precision agriculture, search and rescue operations, as well as the augmentation of residential safety. The evolved noise-reduction mechanisms of birds and insects prove advantageous for drones utilized in tasks like surveillance and wildlife observation, ensuring operation devoid of disturbances. Traditional flying drones equipped with rotary or fixed wings encounter notable constraints when navigating narrow pathways. While rotary and fixed-wing systems are conventionally harnessed for surveillance and reconnaissance, the integration of onboard sensor suites within micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) has garnered interest in vigilantly monitoring hazardous scenarios in residential settings. Notwithstanding the agility and commendable fault tolerance exhibited by systems such as quadrotors in demanding conditions, their inflexible body structures impede collision tolerance, necessitating operational spaces free of collisions. Recent years have witnessed an upsurge in integrating soft and pliable materials into the design of such systems; however, the pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency curtails the utilization of excessively flexible materials for rotor blades or propellers. This thesis introduces a design that integrates polyimide flexible PCBs into the wings of the Aerobat and employs guard design incorporating feedback-driven stabilizers, enabling stable hovering flights within Northeastern's Robotics-Inspired Study and Experimentation (RISE) cage.Comment: 42 pages,20 figure

A Flight Mechanics-Centric Review of Bird-Scale Flapping Flight

This paper reviews the flight mechanics and control of birds and bird-size aircraft. It is intended to fill a niche in the current survey literature which focuses primarily on the aerodynamics, flight dynamics and control of insect scale flight. We review the flight mechanics from first principles and summarize some recent results on the stability and control of birds and bird-scale aircraft. Birds spend a considerable portion of their flight in the gliding (i.e., non-flapping) phase. Therefore, we also review the stability and control of gliding flight, and particularly those aspects which are derived from the unique control features of birds

A Review of Biomimetic Air Vehicle Research: 1984-2014

Biomimetic air vehicles (BAV) are a class of unmanned aircraft that mimic the flapping wing kinematics of flying organisms (e.g. birds, bats, and insects). Research into BAV has rapidly expanded over the last 30 years. In this paper, we present a comprehensive bibliometric review of engineering and biology journal articles that were published on this subject between 1984 and 2014. These articles are organized into five topical categories: aerodynamics, guidance and control, mechanisms, structures and materials, and system design. All of the articles are compartmented into one of these categories based on their primary focus. Several aspects of these articles are examined: publication year, number of citations, journal, authoring organization and country, non-academic funding sources, and the flying organism focused upon for bio-mimicry. This review provides useful information on the state of the art of BAV research and insight on potential future directions. Our intention is that this will serve as a resource for those already engaged in BAV research and enable insight that promotes further research interest

Methods Used to Evaluate the Hawkmoth (Manduca Sexta) as a Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle

Examining a biological flapping-flight mechanism as a mechanical system provides valuable insight related to the development and construction of Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicles (FWMAVs). Insects provide excellent candidates for this reverse-engineering, and one species in particular, the hawkmoth Manduca sexta, stands out as an exceptional model. Engineers with FWMAV aspirations can benefit greatly from knowledge of M.sexta\u27s advanced yet deceptively simple flight mechanism. Avenues for investigating this mechanism include finite element modeling, nanoindentation for material properties, and mechanical power output calculations or measurement. This paper presents these concepts and reviews existing literature to provide a platform for ongoing FWMAV research and design

CM Scale Flapping Wing Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle At Very Low Reynolds Numbers Regime

This dissertation investigates the CM$-$SCALE Flapping Wing of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (FWUAV) that can accommodate nacelles of the scale of current Unmanned Air vehicle (UAV) designs are complex systems and their utilization is still in its infancy. The improving design of unmanned aerial vehicle from previous teams by improving the wings and outer body of bird. So, to potentially improve wing design, a complaint joint mechanism is proposed in order to make wing flapping and provide lift and thrust needed to fly. Also, change the wing design from flat wing to airplane wing by using two different airfoils, NACA 0012 and s1223. For bird\u27s body change the internal body to ensure to contain all internal components and give more space for flapping wings. Concurrently a redesign of the outer shell by making it smoother and lighter will be commensurate with the updated design. In addition, development of an evaluation methodology for the capability of a flapping wing to replication design loads by using computational fluid dynamic CFD by using fluid structure interaction in 2D and 3D analysis. We will investigate the design and analysis of the flapping wing. Specifically, this includes: 1. Review of cm−Scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Model and design (a) Investigate flapping Mechanism. (b) Investigate gear mechanism 2. Analysis of flapping wings for MAV (a) Select Airfoils for flapping wing. (b) Analyze Flapping Wings. (c) Make recommendations for Tail design for MAV. (d) Make recommendations for the improved design of MAV body. 3. Development of Finite Element flapping wing Model. (a) 2D computational analysis for Airfoils. i. NACA0012 Airfoil. ii. s1223 Airfoil. (b) 3D computational analysis with different shape of wings. i. Relationship between critical parameters and performance. ii. Design Optimization. Which is new key to make flapping wing close to the nature or real flapping wing, a new wing design inspired from nature exactly from thrush and scaled to our design. Starting from gear design by choose proper gear system. Then redesign the wings to commensurate with new bird. Computational fluid analysis also will used to replicate the loads needed to fly. This is another important area in which the literature is not offering guidance. Addresses the lack of an overview paper in the literature that outlines the challenges of testing a full$-$scale flapping wing Unmanned aerial vehicle onto laminar flow test and suggests research direction to address these challenges. Although conceptual in nature, this contribution is expected to be significant given that it takes experience in the unmanned vehicle industry to determine what challenges matter and need to be addressed. The growth in testing full-scale unmanned air vehicle using a laminar flow test being recent limits the number of people who can offer the perspective needed to suggest a research roadmap

Micro-Scale Flapping Wings for the Advancement of Flying MEMS

This research effort presents conceptual micro scale air vehicles whose total dimensions are less than one millimeter. The initial effort was to advance the understanding of micro aerial vehicles at sub-millimeter dimensions by fabricating and testing micro scale flapping wings. Fabrication was accomplished using a surface micromachining process called PolyMUMPs™. Both rigid mechanical structures and biomimetic devices were designed and fabricated as part of this effort. The rigid mechanical structures focused on out of plane deflections with solid connections and assembling a multiple hinge wing structure through the aid of residual stress. These devices were actuated by double hot arm thermal actuators. The biomimetic structures derived from three different insect wings to include; the dragonfly, house fly, and butterfly were selected based off of an attribute that each insect possesses in nature. The dragonfly was chosen for its high maneuverability and hovering capabilities. The house fly wing was chosen because of its durability and the butterfly wing was chosen because of its flexibility. The fabricated wings utilize a thermal bimorph structure consisting of polysilicon and gold which allows device actuation through joule heating. The released micro wings had an initial upward deflection due to residual stress between the gold and polysilicon material layers. Joule heating, from an applied bias, forces the wing to deflect downward due to the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the material layers. Each fabricated bio-wing structure was tested for deflection range as well as operating frequency. From the experimental testing of the micro scale flapping bio-wings, aerodynamic values were calculated to include; aspect ratio, reduced frequency in a hover, Reynolds number of a hovering device, drag force, and gravitational force. The research verified insect based wings on the micro scale are capable of producing the desired flapping motion

Design, Manufacture, and Structural Dynamic Analysis of a Biomimetic Insect-Sized Wing for Micro Air Vehicles

The exceptional flying characteristics of airborne insects motivates the design of biomimetic wing structures that can exhibit a similar structural dynamic behavior. For this purpose, this investigation describes a method for both manufacturing a biomimetic insect-sized wing using the photolithography technique and analyzing its structural dynamic response. The geometry of a crane fly forewing (family Tipulidae) is acquired using a micro-computed tomography scanner. A computer-aided design model is generated from the measurements of the reconstructed scanned model of the insect wing to design the photomasks of the membrane and the venation network required for the photolithography procedure. A composite material wing is manufactured by patterning the venation network using photoresist SU-8 on a Kapton film for the assembling of the wing. A single material artificial wing is fabricated using the photoresist SU-8 for both the membrane and the network of veins. Experiments are conducted using a modal shaker and a digital image correlation (DIC) system to determine the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of the artificial wing from the fast Fourier transform of the displacement response of the wing. The experimental results are compared with those from a finite element (FE) model of the wing. A numerical simulation of the fluid-structure interaction is conducted by coupling the FE model of the artificial wing with a computational fluid dynamics model of the surrounding airflow. From these simulations, the deformation response and the coefficients of drag and lift of the artificial wing are predicted for different freestream velocities and angles of attack. Wind-tunnel experiments are conducted using the DIC system to determine the structural deformation response of the artificial wing under different freestream velocities and angles of attack. The vibration modes are dominated by a bending and torsional deformation response. The deformation along the span of the wing increases nonlinearly from the root of the wing to the tip of the wing with Reynolds number. The aerodynamic performance, defined as the ratio of the coefficient of lift to the coefficient of drag, of the artificial wing increases with Reynolds number and angle of attack up to the critical angle of attack

Design, Manufacture, and Structural Dynamic Analysis of a Biomimetic Insect-Sized Wing for Micro Air Vehicles

The exceptional flying characteristics of airborne insects motivates the design of biomimetic wing structures that can exhibit a similar structural dynamic behavior. For this purpose, this investigation describes a method for both manufacturing a biomimetic insect-sized wing using the photolithography technique and analyzing its structural dynamic response. The geometry of a crane fly forewing (family Tipulidae) is acquired using a micro-computed tomography scanner. A computer-aided design model is generated from the measurements of the reconstructed scanned model of the insect wing to design the photomasks of the membrane and the venation network required for the photolithography procedure. A composite material wing is manufactured by patterning the venation network using photoresist SU-8 on a Kapton film for the assembling of the wing. A single material artificial wing is fabricated using the photoresist SU-8 for both the membrane and the network of veins. Experiments are conducted using a modal shaker and a digital image correlation (DIC) system to determine the natural frequencies and the mode shapes of the artificial wing from the fast Fourier transform of the displacement response of the wing. The experimental results are compared with those from a finite element (FE) model of the wing. A numerical simulation of the fluid-structure interaction is conducted by coupling the FE model of the artificial wing with a computational fluid dynamics model of the surrounding airflow. From these simulations, the deformation response and the coefficients of drag and lift of the artificial wing are predicted for different freestream velocities and angles of attack. Wind-tunnel experiments are conducted using the DIC system to determine the structural deformation response of the artificial wing under different freestream velocities and angles of attack. The vibration modes are dominated by a bending and torsional deformation response. The deformation along the span of the wing increases nonlinearly from the root of the wing to the tip of the wing with Reynolds number. The aerodynamic performance, defined as the ratio of the coefficient of lift to the coefficient of drag, of the artificial wing increases with Reynolds number and angle of attack up to the critical angle of attack

Numerical And Experimental Investigation Of 2D Membrane Airfoil Performance

The characteristic feature of a mammalian flight is the use of thin compliant wings as the lifting surface. This unique feature of flexible membrane wings found in flying mammals such as bats and flying squirrel was studied in order to explore its possibility as flexible membrane wings in aerodynamics performance study. The unsteady aspects of the fluid-structure interaction of membrane wings are very complicated and therefore did not receive much attention compared to the rigid wing. Motivated by this, a membrane airfoil consisting of latex sheet mounted on a NACA 643-218 airfoil frame was developed to study effect of membrane flexibility on laminar separation bubble (LSB), effects of membrane thickness, Reynolds number (Re), and membrane rigidity on the aerodynamic performance (lift and drag), meant for low Re applications. Unsteady, two dimensional (2D) simulations were also carried out on rigid and membrane airfoils with the air flow modeled as Laminar and the turbulent cases being modeled using Spalart-Allmaras viscous model. FLUENT 6.3 was employed to study the fluid flow behavior, whereas ABAQUS 6.8-1 was utilized as structural solver, both of which were coupled in real time using the MpCCI 3.1 software. It has been established that, the LSB is greatly influenced by the membrane flexibility, and the membrane airfoil has superior flow separation characteristics over rigid one

Development, Design, Manufacture and Test of Flapping Wing Micro Aerial Vehicles

The field of FlappingWing Micro Air Vehicles (FWMAV) has been of interest in recent years and as shown to have many aerodynamic principles unconventional to traditional aviation aerodynamics. In addition to traditional manufacturing techniques, MAVs have utilized techniques and machines that have gained significant interest and investment over the past decade, namely in additive manufacturing. This dissertation discusses the techniques used to manufacture and build a 30 gram-force (gf) model which approaches the lower limit allowed by current commercial off-the-shelf items. The vehicle utilizes a novel mechanism that minimizes traditional kinematic issues associated with four bar mechanisms for flapping wing vehicles. A kinematic reasoning for large amplitude flapping is demonstrated namely, by lowering the cycle averaged angular acceleration of the wings. The vehicle is tested for control authority and lift of the mechanism using three servo drives for wing manipulation. The study then discusses the wing design, manufacturing techniques and limitations involved with the wings for a FWMAV. A set of 17 different wings are tested for lift reaching lifts of 38 gf using the aforementioned vehicle design. The variation in wings spurs the investigation of the flow patterns generated by the flexible wings and its interactions for multiple flapping amplitudes. Phase-lock particle image velocimetry (PIV) is used to investigate the unsteady flows generated by the vehicle. A novel flow pattern is experimentally found, namely “trailing edge vortex capture” upon wing reversal for all three flapping amplitudes, alluding to a newly discovered addition to the lift enhancing effect of wake capture. This effect is believed to be a result of flexible wings and may provide lift enhancing characteristics to wake capture