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An Insect-Like Flapping-wing Device Actuated by a Compressed Unimorph Piezoelectric Composite Actuator

Quoc Viet Nguyen, Hoon Cheol Park, Nam Seo Goo

Abstract


We have introduced an insect-mimicking flapper, which was based on the general features of flying insects such as wing rotation, wing corrugation and wing clap-fling, actuated by a compressed unimorph piezoceramic actuator. Flapping tests were conducted both in the air and in a vacuum chamber to measure total vertical force and vertical inertia force, respectively. The vertical aerodynamic force was calculated by subtracting the vertical inertia force from the total vertical force. The wing kinematics of the flapper for a CFD simulation was figured out by examining highspeed camera images taken from front and top at the same time. The results confirm that the flapper could successfully produce aerodynamic force when it was operated at the optimum flapping frequency of 9 Hz and applied voltage of 300 voltage peak-to-peak (Vpp). In addition, the results also showed that we could increase the flapping angle 22 % and improve the average of vertical aerodynamic force 19 % by using the compressive LIPCA.

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21535%2FProICIUS.2007.v3.604

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