The goal of our research is to develop a micro air vehicle (MAV) that is strongly stable in a wind gust. After observation of flights of an insect and a bird, we conjectured that an ornithopter would be a promising candidate as a high-performance MAV. In this paper we demonstrate the clear advantage of an ornithopter over an airplane with propellers. The variations in the aerodynamic forces acting on the two aircrafts, which generate the same thrust under the condition of no wind gust, were compared when they encountered gusts of wind. The consumed power, or alternately the period of one cycle of flapping motion and that of one rotation of propeller(s), remained constant before and after they encountered a wind gust. The following results were obtained: The variations of the aerodynamic force of an ornithopter by vertical and frontal wind gusts were slightly smaller than those of an airplane with one or two propellers. The variation in the aerodynamic force of the former by a side wind gust was smaller than that of the latter when the tip speed of the propeller and the flapping amplitude of the ornithopter were small.
Advantages of an Ornithopter against an Airplane with a Propeller
Advances in Science and Technology ; 84 ; 66-71
2012-09-11
6 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Advantages of an Ornithopter against an Airplane with a Propeller
Tema Archiv | 2012
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