scholarly journals Optimum Wing Shape of Highly Flexible Morphing Aircraft for Improved Flight Performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 1305-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weihua Su ◽  
Sean Shan-Min Swei ◽  
Guoming G. Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Wing Shape ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Morphing Aircraft

scholarly journals The evolution of avian wing shape and previously unrecognized trends in covert feathering

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1816) ◽  
pp. 20151935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Wang ◽  
Julia A. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Wing Shape ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Wing Morphology ◽  
Wing Loading ◽  
Linear Measurements ◽  
Geometric Morphometric ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Wing Tip ◽  
Plastic Character

Avian wing shape has been related to flight performance, migration, foraging behaviour and display. Historically, linear measurements of the feathered aerofoil and skeletal proportions have been used to describe this shape. While the distribution of covert feathers, layered over the anterior wing, has long been assumed to contribute to aerofoil properties, to our knowledge no previous studies of trends in avian wing shape assessed their variation. Here, these trends are explored using a geometric–morphometric approach with landmarks describing the wing outline as well as the extent of dorsal and ventral covert feathers for 105 avian species. We find that most of the observed variation is explained by phylogeny and ecology but shows only a weak relationship with previously described flight style categories, wing loading and an investigated set of aerodynamic variables. Most of the recovered variation is in greater primary covert feather extent, followed by secondary feather length and the shape of the wing tip. Although often considered a plastic character strongly linked to flight style, the estimated ancestral wing morphology is found to be generally conservative among basal parts of most major avian lineages. The radiation of birds is characterized by successive diversification into largely distinct areas of morphospace. However, aquatic taxa show convergence in feathering despite differences in flight style, and songbirds move into a region of morphospace also occupied by basal taxa but at markedly different body sizes. These results have implications for the proposed inference of flight style in extinct taxa.

scholarly journals Design and analysis of a linear servo-actuated variable-span morphing wing

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 71-82
Author(s):  
Aynul HOSSAIN ◽  
Wei WANG ◽  
Hailong YUE
Keyword(s):  
Technology Development ◽  
Shape Change ◽  
Current Trend ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Morphing Wing ◽  
Sensors And Actuators ◽  
Morphing Aircraft ◽  
Change Mechanisms ◽  
Variable Span ◽  
Smart Technologies

Morphing aircraft are multi-role aircraft that change their external shape substantially to adapt to a changing mission environment during flight. Current interest in morphing vehicles has been increased by advances in smart technologies such as materials, sensors and actuators. These advances have led to a series of breakthroughs in a wide variety of disciplines that, when fully realized for aircraft applications, have the potential to produce large improvements in aircraft safety, affordability, and environmental compatibility. Morphing wing designs include rotating, sliding and inflating based on shape change mechanisms. The current trend in technology development shows that there is lots to improve with regards to aircraft size, flying range and flight performance envelope. There should be a balance between shape change and the penalties in cost, complexity and weight. Final performance of the morphing aircraft depends heavily on how such balances in design, manufacture and morphing mechanism can be achieved. This paper was an attempt to design and perform a further analysis of an efficient variable span wing for aircraft and fixed wing UAVs.

scholarly journals Parametric and Statistical Study of the Wing Geometry of 75 Species of Odonata

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 5389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasim Chitsaz ◽  
Romeo Marian ◽  
Amirmasoud Chitsaz ◽  
Javaan S. Chahl
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Statistical Study ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Wing Shape ◽  
Geometrical Parameters ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Wing Geometry ◽  
Superficial Similarity ◽  
Independent Parameters

The flight performance and maneuverability of Odonata depends on wing shape and aero-structural characteristics, including airfoil shape, wingspan, and chord. Despite the superficial similarity between Odonata planforms, the frequency with which they are portrayed artistically, and the research interest in their aerodynamics, those features that are stable and those that are labile between species have not been identified. Studies have been done on 2D aerodynamics over corrugated wings; however, there is limited comparative quantified data on the planforms of Odonata wings. This study was undertaken to explore the scale relationships between the geometrical parameters of photogrammetrically reconstructed wings of 75 Odonata species, 66 from Epiprocta, and 9 from Zygoptera. The wing semi-spans captured in the database range from 24 to 85 mm. By carrying out an extensive statistical analysis of data, we show that the geometrical parameters for the suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies) can be classified into scale-dependent and independent parameters using regression analysis. A number of close correlations were found between the wingspan and the size of other structures. We found that amongst the variables considered, the largest independent variations against the forewing span were found in the chord of the hindwing, and that hindwing properties were not reliably predicted by the Odonata family. We suggest that this indicates continuous evolutionary pressure on this structure.

scholarly journals Airplane tracking documents the fastest flight speeds recorded for bats

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 160398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary F. McCracken ◽  
Kamran Safi ◽  
Thomas H. Kunz ◽  
Dina K. N. Dechmann ◽  
Sharon M. Swartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flight Dynamics ◽  
Wing Shape ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Tadarida Brasiliensis ◽  
Flight Behaviour ◽  
Physiological Constraints ◽  
Evolutionary Innovation ◽  
Functional Differences ◽  
Wind Support

The performance capabilities of flying animals reflect the interplay of biomechanical and physiological constraints and evolutionary innovation. Of the two extant groups of vertebrates that are capable of powered flight, birds are thought to fly more efficiently and faster than bats. However, fast-flying bat species that are adapted for flight in open airspace are similar in wing shape and appear to be similar in flight dynamics to fast-flying birds that exploit the same aerial niche. Here, we investigate flight behaviour in seven free-flying Brazilian free-tailed bats ( Tadarida brasiliensis ) and report that the maximum ground speeds achieved exceed speeds previously documented for any bat. Regional wind modelling indicates that bats adjusted flight speeds in response to winds by flying more slowly as wind support increased and flying faster when confronted with crosswinds, as demonstrated for insects, birds and other bats. Increased frequency of pauses in wing beats at faster speeds suggests that flap-gliding assists the bats' rapid flight. Our results suggest that flight performance in bats has been underappreciated and that functional differences in the flight abilities of birds and bats require re-evaluation.

On the effectiveness of active aeroelastic structures for morphing aircraft

2013 ◽  
Vol 117 (1197) ◽  
pp. 1167-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Ajaj ◽  
M. I. Friswell ◽  
E. I. Saavedra Flores
Keyword(s):  
Torsional Stiffness ◽  
Multidisciplinary Design ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Design Optimisation ◽  
Morphing Aircraft ◽  
Control Authority ◽  
And Control ◽  
Long Endurance ◽  
Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation ◽  
Shear Centre

AbstractThis note assesses the benefits of active aeroelastic structures (AAS) in enhancing flight performance and control authority. A representative AAS concept, whose torsional stiffness and shear centre position can be altered depending on the instantaneous flight condition, is employed in the wing of a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV. A multidisciplinary design optimisation (MDO) suite is used in this study. It turns out that AAS can be very effective when used for enhancing control authority of the vehicle but have limited benefits in terms of flight performance (lift to drag).

scholarly journals Enhanced flight performance by genetic manipulation of wing shape in Drosophila

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. Ray ◽  
Toshiyuki Nakata ◽  
Per Henningsson ◽  
Richard J. Bomphrey
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Wing Shape ◽  
Flight Performance
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