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Dimensional analysis of spring-wing systems reveals performance metrics for resonant flapping-wing flight

Gravish, Nicholas1; Lynch, James1; Gau, Jeff2; Sponberg, Simon2

Published Nov 04, 2020 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.6076/D1F593

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Nov 04, 2020 version files 479.35 MB

Abstract

Flapping-wing insects, birds, and robots are thought to offset the high power cost of oscillatory wing motion by using elastic elements for energy storage and return. Insects possess highly resilient elastic regions in their flight anatomy that may enable high dynamic efficiency. However, recent experiments highlight losses due to damping in the insect thorax that could reduce the benefit of those elastic elements. We performed experiments on, and simulations of a dynamically-scaled robophysical flapping model with an elastic element and biologically-relevant structural damping to elucidate the roles of body mechanics, aerodynamics, and actuation in spring-wing energetics. We measured oscillatory flapping wing dynamics and energetics subject to a range of actuation parameters, system inertia, and spring elasticity. To generalize these results, we derive the non-dimensional spring-wing equation of motion and present variables that describe the resonance properties of flapping systems: the Weis-Fogh number, a measure of the relative influence of inertia and aerodynamics, and the reduced stiffness. We show that internal damping scales with Weis-Fogh number, revealing that dynamic efficiency monotonically decreases with increasing Weis-Fogh number. Based on these results, we introduce a general framework for understanding the roles of internal damping, aerodynamic and inertial forces, and elastic structures within all spring-wing systems.