Aerodynamic Performance of Flapping Wings Under Acoustic Disturbances

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the aerodynamic performance of the flapping wings of a four-wing flapper under acoustic disturbances. In the present study, a clap-and-fling type of four-wing flapper was designed and manufactured by using PET film. A woofer loudspeaker was employed to generate sound distances at the test section where the four-wing flapper was placed. The effect of different frequency and amplitude of the sound wave on the aerodynamic performance was investigated. In addition to the lift and thrust measurements using a high sensitive force moment sensor unit, a high-resolution Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system was employed to achieve detailed flow field measurements to quantify the effect of sound waves on the flow and wing deformation. The force measurements were analyzed in correlation with the detailed flow measurements and qualitative wing deformation data to elucidate underlying physics in order to improve our understanding the effect of acoustic disturbances on flexible wings and the overall aerodynamic performance of MAV.