Experimental study on the flight dynamics of a bioinspired ornithopter: free flight testing and wind tunnel testing

Abstract

This study experimentally shows the flight dynamics of a bioinspired ornithopter using two different types of approach: (1) free flight testing, and (2) wind tunnel testing. An ornithopter is flown in straight and level flight with a fixed wingbeat frequency and tail elevation angle. A three-dimensional visual tracking system is applied to follow the retro-reflective markers on the ornithopter and record the flight trajectories. The unique oscillatory behavior of the body in the longitudinal plane is observed in the free flight testing and the detailed wing and tail deformations are also obtained. Based on the trim flight data, a specially devised tether device is designed and employed to emulate the free flight conditions in the wind tunnel. The tether device provides minimal mechanical interference and longitudinal flight dynamic characteristics similar to those of free flight. On introducing a pitching moment disturbance to the body, the oscillation recovered to the original trajectory turns out to be a stable limit-cycle oscillation (LCO). During the wind tunnel testing, the magnitude of LCO is effectively suppressed by active tail motion.