Dynamic effects of Asymmetric In-Phase Flapping (AIF) on forward flight

This paper presents computational and experimental analyses on flight dynamics of Flapping Micro Air Vehicles (FWMAV) employing a novel flapping mechanism, denoted as AIFM (Asymmetric In-phase Flapping Mechanism). This mechanism was designed to achieve controlled, asymmetric in-phase wing flapping inspired by nature's flyers. This paper extends our previous study where modeling and optimization of such a mechanism was carried out. The dynamic effects of asymmetric in-phase flapping motion during forward flight are our main focus in this study. Kinematics and rigid body dynamics modeling are first carried out to derive the equations of motion of the system, followed by aerodynamic modeling of wing using blade element theory and quasi-unsteady analysis techniques. The analysis deals with three configurations of the system: symmetric in-phase flapping motion (c(0)) versus asymmetric in-phase flapping motion (c(+5), c(-5)). Scaled model of AIFM was fabricated and implemented into a FWMAV to show its practical feasibility. Some of the key dynamic effects of AIFM are addressed, suggesting AIFM solely can generate aerodynamic forces and moments which have the potential to bring higher agility and controllability to existing FWMAV platforms.