Computation and Modeling of Insect Flight

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

Wang 0075510 The investigator and her colleagues combine modern techniques of computation and theoretical modeling to complement current experimental research in insect flight. These computations reveal the three-dimensional flows around an elastic wing that mimics the flapping motion of insects. The computational results also establish a basis for developing mathematical models of vortex shedding in unsteady flows (traditionally described by the unsteady Kutta condition). A solution of this longstanding problem in fluid mechanics would help to lay the foundation for a general theory of flapping flight. Insect flight is fascinating in its own right, but more generally, it can provide insight into other fluid mechanical problems that involve interactions between dynamic boundaries and highly unsteady viscous flows. The investigator explores how Nature solves the problem of insect flight. The lessons learned from insect flight are applicable to other physical and engineering systems where there is a tight coupling between a vortex wake and the oscillating body that generated it. Examples range from the famous devastating Tacoma Narrows bridge accident to our everyday experience of the dynamics of a piece of falling paper and the rising of bubbles in fluids. Finally, understanding the aerodynamics of insect flight can provide a new paradigm in designing micro-air vehicles.