Power Modeling and Experiment Study of Large Flapping-Wing Flying Robot during Forward Flight

Abstract

A power estimation approach for calculating the power of a flapping-wing air vehicle (FWAV) in forward flight is proposed in this paper. One of the challenges and essential points of FWAVs is endurance. In order to optimize FWAVs, it is necessary to analyze power required for flight in addition to kinematic and aerodynamic analyses of the prototype. Previously, calculating the power of birds was limited to calculating their average power, which assumed the lift was usually the same as the gravitational force. However, the lift varies with the flapping angle during flight. As a result, the power required for forward flight of FWAVs is determined in this work by using a kinematic model of the drive element and wing flapping, along with the aerodynamic model, which varies with the flapping angle during the flapping cycle. Experiments were performed with two prototypes with wingspans of 1.6 and 1.8 m, utilizing a wind tunnel platform. The correlations between power and angle of attack, flapping frequency, and incoming flow velocity were discovered, and recommendations for FWAVs and flying mode design were provided. However, several challenges are highlighted in the application of the model to practical design efforts.