Experimental Investigation of the Geometric Characteristics of Flapping-Wing Propulsion for a Micro Air Vehicle

摘要

The geometric characteristics of flapping-wing propulsion are studied experimentally through the use of a force balance and a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) system. The system used is built to duplicate the propulsion system currently on the flying model at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) MAV model. Experiments are carried out in a low speed wind tunnel to determine the effects of mean separation and plunge amplitude on the flapping wing propulsion system. Additionally, the effects on flapping wing shape, frequency, and MAV angle on attack (AoA) are also investigated. Some flow visualization is also performed. The intent is to optimize the system so that payload and controllability improvements can be made to the NPS MAV.