Flying On Flapping Wings By using Quick Return Mechanism
Ornithopter is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wing. The main objective of this project is to design an ornithopter by imitating the flapping wing flight of large wing span birds. First phase of this project deals with simulation of flapping wing aerodynamics. Aerodynamics of flapping wing can be modeled within the framework of unsteady Navier-Stokes equation. Non-linear physics with multiple variables and time varying geometries pose great challenges for modeling. A 2D model of flapping wing in a static fluid medium has been simulated in CFX module of ANSYS workbench. The flapping wing mechanism is designed and fabricated. This has been used to experimentally determine the lift generated by flapping wing mechanism. Finally, a comparison was made between simulation and experimental results.
