Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


PhD_Dissertation_KCM_ForPublishing.pdf (5.35 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Biomimicry of the Hawk Moth, Manduca sexta (L.): Forewing and Thorax Emulation for Flapping-Wing Micro Aerial Vehicle Development

Moses, Kenneth C.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9326-1573
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case158687503705972

Abstract Details

2020, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, EMC - Aerospace Engineering.
For more than two decades researchers have sought to develop a micro aerial vehicle (MAV) capable of discrete remote surveillance and reconnaissance in hazardous environments where no other alternative means of observation exist. While some success has been found in multi-rotor designs such as quadcopters, these vehicles are limited in their flight duration, flight range, robustness, stealth, safety, and agility. Biology offers a source of inspiration in insect flight. Flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles (FWMAVs) have the potential to address the current shortcomings of MAVs. This dissertation approaches the development of FWMAVs by attempting to mimic two major flight components of a particular insect, the hawk moth Manduca sexta (L.). Novel methods are established to design, fabricate and assess the performance of artificial M. sexta forewings and a flapping-wing mechanism inspired by the M. sexta thorax. Results from forewing experiments indicate successful emulation of mass and forewing geometry, including camber. Flexural stiffness values are an order of magnitude greater than desired and suggest that membrane and venation structure material must change. However, lift production analysis reveals that the artificial forewings are capable of generating comparable amounts of force to naturally occurring M. sexta forewings. Kinematic simulations demonstrate advantages to using a Scotch yoke mechanism as opposed to a more traditional crank-slider mechanism to convert continuous rotary motion into oscillatory flapping-wing motion. A multibody dynamic simulation of a Scotch yoke mechanism and passively rotating forewings is developed as a tool to investigate areas of improvement for increased mechanism efficiency such as the addition of energy storing and releasing components and potential changes in mechanism geometry. Empirical performance data on various configurations of a flapping-wing system comprised of a Scotch yoke mechanism and artificial M. sexta forewings is gathered by means of a newly designed testbed capable of precisely measuring lift generation and electrical input power at sampling rates above 7 kHz. The tools and findings presented in this dissertation establish a foundation for future work in designing FWMAVs.
Roger Quinn, Dr. (Committee Chair)
Mark Willis, Dr. (Committee Member)
Richard Bachmann, Dr. (Committee Member)
Yasuhiro Kamotani, Dr. (Committee Member)
161 p.
Aerospace Engineering; Aerospace Materials; Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Robotics; Robots
flapping-wing micro aerial vehicle; FWMAV; flapping-wing mechanism; FWM; micro air vehicle; MAV; Manduca sexta; hawk moth; insect wing replication; thorax emulation; mechanism design; drone technology; power measurement; lift measurement;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Moses, K. C. (2020). Biomimicry of the Hawk Moth, Manduca sexta (L.): Forewing and Thorax Emulation for Flapping-Wing Micro Aerial Vehicle Development [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case158687503705972

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Moses, Kenneth. Biomimicry of the Hawk Moth, Manduca sexta (L.): Forewing and Thorax Emulation for Flapping-Wing Micro Aerial Vehicle Development. 2020. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case158687503705972.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Moses, Kenneth. "Biomimicry of the Hawk Moth, Manduca sexta (L.): Forewing and Thorax Emulation for Flapping-Wing Micro Aerial Vehicle Development." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case158687503705972

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case158687503705972
380
© 2020, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Biomimicry of the Hawk Moth, Manduca sexta (L.): Forewing and Thorax Emulation for Flapping-Wing Micro Aerial Vehicle Development by Kenneth C. Moses is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.