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Gull dynamic pitch stability is controlled by wing morphing.

Christina Harvey1, Daniel J Inman2

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Gulls adjust wing shape using shoulder, wrist, and elbow joints for stable flight. This wing morphing allows control over flight dynamics, offering insights for designing maneuverable uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Keywords:
birdsdynamic responseflightgustsmaneuverability

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Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics
  • Aerodynamics
  • Robotics

Background:

  • Birds exhibit remarkable aerial maneuverability through wing morphing.
  • Understanding avian dynamic stability is crucial for designing bio-inspired uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).
  • Quantifying dynamic stability in birds is complex due to variable morphology and aerodynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify how gulls use wing morphing to adjust longitudinal dynamic response.
  • To investigate the relationship between wing joint actuation and flight stability.
  • To identify trade-offs between stability and control in avian flight.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of dynamic flight stability in gulls.
  • Modeling of wing morphing effects on longitudinal dynamic response.
  • Investigation of shoulder, elbow, and wrist joint actuation.

Main Results:

  • Shoulder angle adjustment is necessary for trimmed flight.
  • Most trimmed configurations were stable, except those with high wrist angles.
  • Wing morphing allows gulls to control phugoid and short-period modes, exhibiting a damped phugoid response compared to similar-sized UAVs.
  • Gulls can fold or sweep wings backward to trim as flight speed increases.

Conclusions:

  • Gulls utilize shoulder, wrist, and elbow joints to balance stability and control.
  • Avian wing morphing offers a model for enhancing UAV maneuverability and stability.
  • Wing joint control allows for negotiation of flight dynamics, potentially overcoming sluggishness through morphing into unstable configurations.