Stress Analysis of Membrane Flapping-Wing Aerial Vehicle Based on Different Material Models

Chunjin Yu^1,2*, Daewon Kim², Yi Zhao²

¹Institute of Flight Vehicle Engineering, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, China.
²Department of Aerospace Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/jamp.2014.212116                

Abstract

Recent studies of flapping-wing aerial vehicles have been focused on the aerodynamic performance based on linear materials. Little work has been done on structural analysis based on nonlinear material models. A stress analysis is conducted in this study on membrane flapping-wing aerial vehicles using finite element method based on three material models, namely, linear elastic, Mooney-Rivlin non linear, and composite material models. The purpose of this paper is to understand how different types of materials affect the stresses of a flapping-wing. In the finite element simulation, each flapping cycle is divided into twelve stages and the maximum stress is calculated in each stage. The results show that 1) there are two peak stress values in one flapping cycle; one at the beginning stage of down stroke and the other at the beginning of upstroke, 2) maximum stress at the beginning of down stroke is greater than that at the beginning of upstroke, 3) maximum stress based on each material model is different. The composite and the Mooney-Rivlin nonlinear models produce much less stresses compared to the linear material model; and 4) the ratio of downstroke maximum stress and upstroke maximum stress varies with different material models. This research is helpful in answering why insect wings are so impeccable, thus providing a possibility of improving the design of flapping-wing aerial vehicles.

Keywords

Flapping-Wing, Aerial Vehicle, Membrane Wing, Stress Analysis

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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