Authors:

Sota Yanagisawa

Date Created:

Not specified

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About Paper:

Flapping-wing aerial vehicles (FWAVs) inspired by avian flight offer advantages in maneuverability and endurance over traditional fixed-wing aircraft. However, FWAVs with rigid wings typically employ brushless DC motors, resulting in mechanically complex actuation systems involving multiple moving parts such as gearboxes and multi-bar linkages. In contrast, existing servo-driven flapping mechanisms are largely limited to FWAVs with membrane wings that rely on passive aeroelastic deformation, which is less ideal as it is difficult to control. This study presents the development and prototyping of a novel, direct servo-driven actuation strategy for an FWAV with airfoil-sectioned rigid wings. Each wing is actuated by two servos, enabling active control of the wing's angle of attack throughout the flapping cycle to generate thrust. This direct servo approach permits independent wing motion for complex maneuvers and supports an enhanced gliding mode with variable dihedral control. In addition, the precise angle control allows for further understanding of the thrust generation process. A modified aircraft design methodology is implemented to design the FWAV. The design process incorporates sizing studies, servo torque calculations, correlation analysis, and stability evaluations using software such as XFLR5 and OpenVSP. Wind tunnel testing is performed to quantify the lift, net thrust, and pitching moment under three operational modes: flapping, gliding, and a gliding-to-flapping transition. Free-flight tests were conducted to validate flight capability. The findings establish a foundation for future servo-driven FWAV innovations by demonstrating a mechanically simpler, modular, and upgrade-friendly design architecture. Keywords: Flapping Wing; Avian-Inspired Aircraft; Mechanism Design; Wing Kinematics; Aerial Robotics

Source:

Purdue University / 2025

Topics:

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Co-authors:

Sota Yanagisawa