
Scanned locust wing
ScienceDaily (Sep. 18, 2009): “Until very recently it hasn’t been possible to measure the actual shape of an insect’s wings in flight – partly because their wings flap so fast, and partly because their shape is so complicated.
“Locusts are an interesting insect for engineers to study because of their ability to fly extremely long distances on very limited energy reserves.”
Once the computer model of the locust wing movement was perfected, the researchers ran modified simulations to find out why the wing structure was so complex.
In one test they removed the wrinkles and curves but left the twist, while in the second test they replaced the wings with rigid flat plates. The results showed that the simplified models produced lift but were much less efficient, requiring much more power for flight.
“The message for engineers working to build insect-like micro-air vehicles is that the high lift of insect wings may be relatively easy to achieve, but that if the aim is to achieve efficiency of the sort that enables inter-continental flight in locusts, then the details of deforming wing design are critical,” Dr Young said.
The Oxford team were Dr Simon Walker, Dr Richard Bomphrey, Dr Graham Taylor and Professor Adrian Thomas of the Animal Flight Group in the Department of Zoology.
The research paper, “Details of Insect Wing Design and Deformation Enhance Aerodynamic Function and Flight Efficiency,” appears in the September 18 issue of Science.
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