An experimental data-driven mass-spring model of flexibleCalliphorawings.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Aerodynamics
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Insect wings deform significantly during flapping flight due to complex forces.
• This deformation creates a coupled fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problem, where wing shape influences aerodynamic forces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct detailed 3D FSI simulations of deformable blowfly wings during flapping flight.
• To investigate the influence of wing flexibility and intra-species variability on aerodynamic performance.

Main Methods:

• A multi-parameter mass-spring model was used for wing deformation, optimized with a genetic algorithm (CMA-ES) against experimental elasticity data.
• The wing models were coupled with a high-performance flow solver for massively parallel supercomputing.

Main Results:

• Blowfly individuals with varying wing stiffness showed similar dimensionless forces and power output at the same Reynolds number.
• Wing flexibility, compared to rigid wings, improved lift-to-drag and lift-to-power ratios under identical kinematic conditions.
• Flexibility also reduced peak forces during wing rotation.

Conclusions:

• Wing flexibility is a crucial factor in blowfly flight aerodynamics, optimizing performance metrics like lift-to-drag ratio.
• Despite natural variations in wing stiffness, blowflies achieve consistent aerodynamic efficiency, highlighting the robustness of their flight.
• The developed FSI modeling approach provides an efficient and accurate method for studying insect flight biomechanics.