This work describes the design, construction, and testing of wings for a napping wing micro air vehicle. The vehicle utilizes two independently driven wings to provide lift and maneuverability. Wing design and construction is a critical aspect of successfully flying these types of vehicles. Variations to a wing design, capable of generating sufficient lift, are described. All changes to the wing design entail adding or removing carbon fiber to different sections of the wing. The effect is that the stiffness of the wing changes, altering the wing's in-plane, out-of-plane, and torsional stiffness. Torsional stiffness is particularly important because it effectively sets the wing's angle of attack. A wing that is too torsionally stiff at a particular flapping frequency will not achieve an optimal angle of attack, resulting in reduced lift and large drag forces. On the other hand, a wing that is not torsionally stiff enough will result in a small angle of attack and a small drag force. In addition to wing variations and structural testing, a method is outlined that allows a designer to obtain an initial estimate of the wing geometry required for a vehicle that is a different weight than the one used in this work. This estimate is an extrapolation from a wing used in a successful flight test. Expressions are derived which allow calculation of the wing span and chord along with the required structural properties for a new wing geometry.
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