Phase II Final Report - NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts

Planetary Exploration Using Biomimetics
An Entomopter for Flight on Mars
80
80
60
60
40
40
Maximum
Maximum Flap
Flap Angle
Angle 85°
85°
Flapping
Flapping Frequency
Frequency 4.43
4.43 Hz
Hz
Excess
Excess Mass
Mass Capacity
Capacity 1.5
1.5 kg
kg
Wing
Wing Length
Length 0.6
0.6 m
Flight
Flight Velocity
Velocity 14
14 m/s
m/s
20
20
0
-20
-20
0.07 0.15 0.22 0.30 0.37 0.45 0.52 0.60 0.67 0.75 0.82 0.90 0.97
0.07 0.15 0.22 0.30 0.37 0.45 0.52 0.60 0.67 0.75 0.82 0.90 0.97
0.1
r = 0.1
0.2
r = 0.2
0.3
r = 0.3
0.4
r = 0.4
0.5
r = 0.5
0.6
r = 0.6
-40
-40
-60
-60
-80
-80
Wing Flap Cycle
Wing Flap Cycle
Figure 3-107: Angle of Attack for a Maximum Flap Angle of 85 o and Flight Speed of
14 m/s
3.3.3 Analytical Analysis of Mars Entomopter Aerodynamics
3.3.3.1 Introduction
The aerodynamic analysis of the Entomopter for the Mars exploration should be able to take into
account the complete mission profile of Entomopter in the Mars environment. The optimal
design should satisfy the lift and thrust requirements over the entire flight regime. In order to
assess the performance of an Entomopter designed for Mars, it must first be proved that flapping
wing chosen for its low speed flight capability, provides enough lift and thrust to make the Entomopter
fly robustly. This requires an analytical model that gives satisfactory estimates for lift
and thrust values for different flight conditions. The mission includes different phases of flight
(takeoff, steady level flight, turning performance, maneuvers, and landing) that must be analyzed
in depth for if accurate performance predictions are to be obtained. As a first step, only
steady level flight has been considered, because that constitutes the major part of the mission.
Another important requirement is the validation of the analytical results against corroborating
results derived from CFD and ultimately experimental tests in a wind tunnel.
Even though flapping wing flight is the major mode of locomotion used by birds and insects, no
analytical model available has so far has been able to estimate the true performance of birds and
insects. Many have studied flapping wing locomotion, but the complex modes of flight in nature
still need to be addressed in much more detail and it will be some time before these complex
motions and phenomena are completely understood. Based on prior work conducted by different
researchers in this area, and taking into account the peculiar design of Entomopter, a physics
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Phase II Final Report