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Flight dynamic coupling analysis of a bio-inspired elastic-wing aircraft

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2018

S. Zhang ,
Z. Wang ,
Y. Wu  and
Y. Yu
S. Zhang
Affiliation:
School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
Z. Wang
Affiliation:
School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
Y. Wu*
Affiliation:
School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
Y. Yu
Affiliation:
Beijing Electro-Mechanical Engineering Institute, Beijing, China
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

It is a challenge for small, fixed-wing aerial vehicles to maintain flight stability under gusts. Inspired by the geometric features and the structural dynamic characteristics of the gliding bird wing, an elastic wing with similar characteristics was designed and optimised for use as part of unmanned aerial vehicle. A flight dynamic model, which includes the coupling of the longitudinal flight modes and the aeroelastic modes of the flexible wing, was built to analyse the mechanisms of specific coupling for the structural characteristics of the wing design, and how these specific couplings affect flight dynamics. The results showed that the bio-inspired elastic wing effectively allows alleviation of the gust response of the prototype through coupling effects of the short period and the first aeroelastic mode, even with a considerable frequency gap. These effects become more significant when the airspeed becomes larger. The conclusions of this research can facilitate further development of bird-sized unmanned aerial vehicles to extend their applications and make these vehicles more adaptive for flight in complex atmospheric environments.

Keywords

bio-inspirationflight dynamicssmall portable UAVelastic wing
Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 122 , Issue 1250 , April 2018 , pp. 572 - 597
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2018 

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