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

Planetary Exploration Using Biomimetics
An Entomopter for Flight on Mars
R
L = 1 2 ρc l ∑ ((4 fθr i ) 2 + V 2 2
)(0.328 + 2.616r i − 9.141r i
0
+15.642r i 3 − 12.951r i 4 + 4.058r i 5 )
Equation 3-6
Lift distribution along the wing is shown in Figure 3-7. This figure compares the lift distribution
along the wing section for flapping angles of 30° and 45° at engine power levels of 700 W and
800 W. The engine power represents what is needed to move all four wing segments at the frequency
and maximum flap angle specified. From this figure it can be seen that the shape of the
lift profile is consistent for all the cases tried. Greater lift is achieved by increasing the maximum
flapping angle then increasing the flapping rate (power level). This figure demonstrates
that to maximize lift for a given power level, the largest flapping angle achievable should be
used.
0.025
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.005
30°, 700W (10.9 Hz)
45°, 700 W (8.3 Hz)
30°, 800 W (11.4 Hz)
45°, 800W (8.7 Hz)
0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5
Wing Section Radius (m)
Figure 3-7: Lift Distribution for Various Operational Conditions
As shown in the above equations, the lift generated and power required by the Entomopter will
be dependent on the flapping rate of the wings, degree of motion, or flapping angle, of the
wings; the length or area of the wing; and the speed at which the Entomopter is traveling. All of
these factors have varying but direct impacts on the lifting capacity of the wing and its power
consumption. To optimize the Entomopter design, vehicle geometry and operational conditions
would need to maximize lifting capacity while minimizing required power. The number of factors
that can influence both lift generation and power consumption make this optimization process
complex. Therefore, the analysis will examine each of the variables individually to
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Phase II Final Report