Geometric Analysis of Insect Wing Vein Network

An insect wing consists of a thin membrane supported by a system of veins, and flow of blood through the system of veins is critical for maintaining healthy insect wings. Better understanding of the insect wing vein circulation requires to know how the efficiency of blood flow in an insect wing relates to the geometric shape of the vein. Our investigation of the wing vein network of a dragonfly Anax junius follows the idea of Murray’s law, which is established in the study of efficiency of the vein network and the geometric shape of the vein. Instead of using the classic Murray’s law for circular cross-sections, we derived a variation of the Murray’s law for vein cross-sections of equilateral triangles. Then, we evaluated the conformity of the studied wing vein network to Murray’s law by measuring the diameter of veins of the forewing of A. junius. Our data suggest that the vein network does not abide by the class Murray’s law and support that the shape of the vein is not cylindrical

Morhphotaxanomic Characteristics of Dragonfly, Lesser Emperor, Anax parthenope (Selys, 1839) (Odonata: Aeshnidae) at Region Sukkur, Sindh

Odonates are ecologically important as both predators and prey. Their larvae constitute a natural biological control over mosquito larvae and thus help to control several epidemic diseases like malaria, dengue, filaria etc. In this study; the Dragonfly, Anax parthenope (♂:♀) has been identified for the first time at region Sukkur, Sindh - Pakistan. The study was mainly emphasized on morphological differences between male and female specimen. Both male and female specimens were having some same but mostly different characteristics. Like both male and female had large green compound eyes touching dorsally, head was found hypognathous, thorax dark green with visible thoraxic segments, male had slightly larger than female wings, bigger in size and more colorful. Which was very rare in insects, fore and hind wings were not similar, forewing narrow and elongated whereas; the hind wings were broad basally, distal part of the wing was yellowish, abdomen was black dorsally and ventrally but found greenish from lateral side. It was concluded that there was a lot of potential to explore Odonata fauna of this region. The climate and topography of this area along with lot of natural pastures and aquatic bodies support dragonflies’ life and biology. However, due to rapid increase in urbanization, suitable habitats of odonata were disappearing at an alarming rate. Thus, only single specie was found. Further surveys and necessary conservation measures were also adopted, therefore, suggested as need of the day to utilize it, in right direction after knowing its species complex

The damping and structural properties of dragonfly and damselfly wings during dynamic movement

For flying insects, stability is essential to maintain the orientation and direction of motion in flight. Flight instability is caused by a variety of factors, such as intended abrupt flight manoeuvres and unwanted environmental disturbances. Although wings play a key role in insect flight stability, little is known about their oscillatory behaviour. Here we present the first systematic study of insect wing damping. We show that different wing regions have almost identical damping properties. The mean damping ratio of fresh wings is noticeably higher than that previously thought. Flight muscles and hemolymph have almost no ‘direct’ influence on the wing damping. In contrast, the involvement of the wing hinge can significantly increase damping. We also show that although desiccation reduces the wing damping ratio, rehydration leads to full recovery of damping properties after desiccation. Hence, we expect hemolymph to influence the wing damping indirectly, by continuously hydrating the wing system

Experimental Characterization of the Structural Dynamics and Aero-Structural Sensitivity of a Hawkmoth Wing Toward the Development of Design Rules for Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles

A case is made for why the structures discipline must take on a more central role in the research and design of flapping-wing micro-air-vehicles, especially if research trends continue toward bio-inspired, insect-sized flexible wing designs. In making the case, the eigenstructure of the wing emerges as a key structural metric for consideration. But with virtually no structural dynamic data available for actual insect wings, both engineered and computational wing models that have been inspired by biological analogs have no structural truth models to which they can be anchored. An experimental framework is therefore developed herein for performing system identification testing on the wings of insects. This framework is then utilized to characterize the structural dynamics of the forewing of a large sample of hawkmoth (Manduca Sexta) for future design and research consideration. The research also weighs-in on a decade-long debate as to the relative contributions that the inertial and fluid dynamic forces acting on a flapping insect wing have on its deformation (expression) during flight. Ultimately the findings proves that both affect wing expression significantly, casting serious doubt on the longstanding and most frequently cited research that indicates fluid dynamic forces have minimal or negligible effect

Corrugation, flexibility and wear of fly wings

The properties of insect wings are important for insect flight. This doctoral thesis uses biomechanical and behavioural approaches to quantify properties of wings that affect flight performance. It encompasses investigations into the three-dimensional structure, flexibiltiy and wear of fly wings. The results of this thesis help to further understand the mechanisms and limits of flight force production in insects and thus serve as a valuable basis for further research on insect flight.Die Eigenschaften von Insektenflügeln sind bedeutsam für den Insektenflug. Die vorliegende Doktorarbeit quantifiziert mittels biomechanischer und verhaltensbiologischer Methoden Flügeleigenschaften, die sich auf die Flugleistung auswirken. Sie umfasst Untersuchungen zur dreidimensionalen Struktur, Flexibilität und Abnutzung von Fliegenflügeln. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit tragen dazu bei, die Mechanismen und Grenzen der Flugkrafterzeugung bei Insekten besser zu verstehen, und dienen somit als wertvolle Grundlage für weitere Forschung zum Insektenflug

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

Geometry And Topology: Building Machine Learning Surrogate Models With Graphic Statics Method

This dissertation aims at developing a machine learning workflow in solving design-related problems, taking a data-driven structural design method with topological data using graphic statics as an example. It shows the advantages of building machine learning surrogate models for learning the design topology -- the relationship of design elements. It reveals a future tendency of the coexistence of the human designer and the machine, in which the machine learns the appearance and correlation between design data, while the human supervises the learning process. Theoretically, with the commencement of the age of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, the usage of machine learning in solving design problems is widely applied. The existing research mainly focuses on the machine learning of the geometric data, however, the internal logic of a design is represented as the topology, which describes the relationship between each design element. The topology can not be easily represented for the human designer to understand, however it\u27s readable and understandable by the machine, which suggests a method of using machine learning techniques to learn the intrinsic logic of a design as the topology. Technically, we propose to use machine learning as a framework and graphic statics as a supporting method to provide training data, suggesting a new design methodology by the machine learning of the topology. Different from previous geometry-based design, in which only the design geometry is presented and considered, in this new topology-based design, the human designer employs the machine and provides training materials showing the topology of a design to train the machine. The machine finds the design rules related to the topology and applies the trained machine learning models to generate new design cases as both the geometry and the topology

It’s Not a Bug, It’s a Feature: Functional Materials in Insects

Over the course of their wildly successful proliferation across the earth, the insects as a taxon have evolved enviable adaptations to their diverse habitats, which include adhesives, locomotor systems, hydrophobic surfaces, and sensors and actuators that transduce mechanical, acoustic, optical, thermal, and chemical signals. Insect‐inspired designs currently appear in a range of contexts, including antireflective coatings, optical displays, and computing algorithms. However, as over one million distinct and highly specialized species of insects have colonized nearly all habitable regions on the planet, they still provide a largely untapped pool of unique problem‐solving strategies. With the intent of providing materials scientists and engineers with a muse for the next generation of bioinspired materials, here, a selection of some of the most spectacular adaptations that insects have evolved is assembled and organized by function. The insects presented display dazzling optical properties as a result of natural photonic crystals, precise hierarchical patterns that span length scales from nanometers to millimeters, and formidable defense mechanisms that deploy an arsenal of chemical weaponry. Successful mimicry of these adaptations may facilitate technological solutions to as wide a range of problems as they solve in the insects that originated them.Insects have evolved manifold optimized solutions to everyday problems. The diversity and precision of their hierarchical material adaptations often outsmart and outperform current man‐made approaches. These materials hence provide an excellent basis for the inspiration of new technological approaches by taking design cues from nature’s solutions.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143760/1/adma201705322.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143760/2/adma201705322_am.pd