MODELING OF THE HAWKMOTH WING AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN A FLAPPING WING MECHANISM

Aytek Altuga Okmen, Dilek Funda Kurtulus and Kutluk Bilge Arikan

Main aim of this study is to accurately model the wing of a hawkmoth (Manduca sexta) in order to implement it in a flapping wing mechanism for a micro aerial vehicle (MAV). The wing is first modeled in ANSYS/SpaceClaim then the model is verified by performing modal analysis on the finite element model (FEM) of the wing in ANSYS/Mechanical. Grid refinement study is performed on the FEM. Results of the modal analysis of the modeled wing is compared to literature results and it is seen that both results are in good agreement. A simple planar four bar mechanism is designed in flexible multibody dynamics program ADAMS. The mechanism can perform a figure of eight shape when it is moving which mimics the flapping motion of hawkmoth. It is planned that the flapping mechanism will be further improved and optimized according to the initial simulation results.

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