Design and Mechanical Analysis of Bionic Foldable Beetle Wings

Area of Science:

• Robotics and Mechanical Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Collapsible aircraft require advanced wing designs for improved flight performance.
• Existing mechanisms often lack the efficiency and maneuverability of natural systems.
• Beetle wing structures offer a promising model for bio-inspired foldable wing mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and analyze a novel bionic foldable wing mechanism for collapsible aircraft.
• To optimize wing parameters for enhanced flight performance using kinematic and static models.
• To investigate the dynamic behavior of both rigid and flexible wings during folding.

Main Methods:

• A four-plate mechanism theory was applied to design the bionic foldable wings.
• The Denavit-Hartenberg (D-H) method was used to establish a kinematic model for dihedral angle analysis.
• Rigid and flexible wing dynamic models were created and simulated using ADAMS software.
• Kinematic and static models were utilized to derive and calculate the folding ratio and optimal physical parameters.

Main Results:

• The study derived and calculated the folding ratio based on different plate creasing angles.
• Optimal physical parameters for the folding wings were obtained by considering kinematic, static models, folding ratio, and motor torque.
• Dynamic simulations revealed the relationship between dihedral angle and torque for both rigid and flexible wings during folding.

Conclusions:

• The developed bionic foldable wing mechanism offers a novel approach for collapsible aircraft.
• Rigid-flexible wing analysis provides a deeper understanding of the folding mechanism.
• This insect-mimicking design demonstrates potential for advanced small aerial vehicles.