Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2025
12:09
Building an Enhanced Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Insect Flight
Published on: March 10, 2021
2.8K
Wing extension-flexion coupled aeroelastic effects improve avian gliding performance.
Jasmin C M Wong1, Vaibhav Joshi2, Rajeev K Jaiman3
1School of Civil, Aerospace, and Design Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK.
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|May 6, 2025
Summary
Bird wing morphing changes stiffness, enhancing flight. Increased stiffness in folded wings improves lift and delays flow separation, optimizing aerodynamics at different speeds.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Aerodynamics
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Birds exhibit significant wing shape changes during flight, known as wing morphing.
- Wing morphing influences aerodynamic force production, but its effect on wing stiffness is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how wing stiffness changes with wing morphing in birds.
- To determine the aerodynamic consequences of morphing-coupled stiffness changes.
Main Methods:
- Mechanical testing of in situ flight feathers in pigeons.
- Computational fluid-structure interaction simulations.
Main Results:
- Proximal wing areas increase in out-of-plane stiffness when wings are folded.
- Flexible wings generally outperform rigid wings by delaying flow separation.
- Increased stiffness in folded wings at high speeds prevents lift reduction caused by flutter.
Conclusions:
- Wing stiffness changes dynamically with wing morphing.
- These stiffness variations provide a speed-dependent mechanism for enhancing flight performance.
- The findings offer insights into the evolution of avian flight.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Lift
33
Lift is a fundamental aerodynamic force that acts perpendicular to the direction of airflow. It plays a central role in achieving and sustaining flight and in stabilizing various vehicles. Lift primarily originates from pressure differences created across surfaces, such as an airfoil. A lower pressure region forms above the wing, while a higher pressure region forms below it, generating an upward force. This differential results from the shape and orientation of the airfoil, enabling the wing...
33
01:54Convergent Evolution
27.2K
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
27.2K
01:16Flexural Stress
228
When analyzing bending in symmetric members, it's crucial to understand how stresses distribute when subjected to bending moments. This stress distribution is effectively described by applying fundamental mechanics and material science principles, particularly Hooke's Law for elastic materials.
Hooke's Law states that within the material's elastic limits, stress is directly proportional to strain. In a member experiencing a bending moment, the strain at any point is relative to...
Hooke's Law states that within the material's elastic limits, stress is directly proportional to strain. In a member experiencing a bending moment, the strain at any point is relative to...
228
01:38Limits to Natural Selection
30.8K
Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.
30.8K
01:20Bending and Torsional Moments
3.3K
Bending and torsional moments are two fundamental concepts in structural engineering. They play an important role in understanding the behavior of materials and structures under different loading conditions.
The reaction developed in a structural element when subjected to an external force causes the element to bend. When a structural element bends upwards, it creates compressive normal forces on the top and tensile normal forces on the bottom, resulting in a couple that determines the bending...
The reaction developed in a structural element when subjected to an external force causes the element to bend. When a structural element bends upwards, it creates compressive normal forces on the top and tensile normal forces on the bottom, resulting in a couple that determines the bending...
3.3K
01:07Cohesion
50.3K
Cohesion is the attraction between molecules of the same type, such as water molecules. Water molecules have an overall neutral charge but are polar molecule. An oxygen atom in one water molecule has a partial negative charge that can bind to a hydrogen atom with a partial positive charge in a second water molecule, forming a hydrogen bond. Each water molecule can form up to four hydrogen bonds with other water molecules. Hydrogen bonds are responsible for water's cohesive nature.
On a...
On a...
50.3K