A Free-Flight Simulation of Insect Flapping Flight

Abstract

In insect flapping flight, non-equilibrium flight conditions such as takeoffs and uncoordinated turn are difficult to investigate with experiments or quasi-steady analysis. Here we develop a simplified rigid body dynamics solver with 6 degrees of freedom (DOF), by utilizing unit quaternions. A free-flight simulator of an insect flapping flight is then built up by coupling the dynamics solver with an in-house CFD solver, which is specified for simulating unsteady flapping-wing aerodynamics. Simulation of the hovering flight of a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is achieved by manually manipulating three kinematic parameters, wingbeat amplitude, mean positional angle, and stroke plane angle relative to body (anatomical stroke plane angle).