EAGER/Collaborative Research: Revealing the Physical Mechanisms Underlying the Extraordinary Stability of Flying Insects

EAGER/合作研究：揭示飞行昆虫非凡稳定性的物理机制

• 批准号: 2344214
• 负责人: Haithem Taha
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: University of California-Irvine
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-02-01 至 2026-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2344214&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Collaborative; Research; Revealing; Physical

This EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) project investigates how certain insects may tolerate large disturbances during flight, without tumbling out of control. High-speed images of a free-flying hawkmoth showed the insect -- after being impulsively accelerated to a spin rate of 5,000 degrees per second -- returning to normal flight in only a few wing beats. Computer simulations suggest that this rapid recovery may be due to a spring-like force from the air displaced by the sudden motion of the moth’s body. These forces were not previously thought to be important in hawkmoth flight. This project will use mathematical analyses and high-fidelity computer simulations to fully explore and explain this surprising result. The knowledge gained from this work will help safeguard future aircraft; the observed behavior is beyond the capability of current flight control technology. Preliminary analysis suggests that the body-added mass effect plays a central role in the observed ability of the hawkmoth to recover from impulsive acceleration to high pitch rates. This study will apply a combination of theoretical and computational methods to understand the interplay between body flight dynamics and unsteady flow, at timescales significantly faster than the wing beat period. Specific tasks include (i) dynamic analysis of body added mass effects and comparison to existing insect flight disturbance response data; (ii) high-fidelity computational fluid dynamic simulations of added mass effects, and (iii) analysis of added mass effects in the presence of vortical flow. The study will include development of approaches to implement the newly understood high-rate recovery mechanisms on future unpiloted aerial vehicles.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个早期概念探索性研究资助（EAGER）项目调查了某些昆虫如何在飞行过程中承受较大的干扰，而不会失控翻滚。自由飞行的天蛾的高速图像显示了这种昆虫在被冲动加速到一定速度后。每秒旋转 5,000 度——只需几次翅膀拍打即可恢复正常飞行。计算机模拟表明，这种快速恢复可能是由于突然运动所产生的空气中的类似弹簧的力。以前人们认为这些力对鹰蛾的飞行并不重要，该项目将使用数学分析和高保真度计算机模拟来充分探索和解释这一令人惊讶的结果，从这项工作中获得的知识将有助于保护未来的飞机。观察到的行为超出了当前飞行控制技术的能力，初步分析表明，身体附加质量效应在观察到的天蛾从脉冲加速恢复到高俯仰速率的能力中起着核心作用。理论的以及理解身体飞行动力学和非定常流动之间相互作用的计算方法，其时间尺度明显快于翅膀拍动周期，具体任务包括（i）身体附加质量效应的动态分析以及与现有昆虫飞行扰动响应数据的比较； -附加质量效应的保真度计算流体动力学模拟，以及(iii)在存在涡流的情况下分析附加质量效应。该研究将包括开发在未来无人驾驶飞行器上实施新理解的高速回收机制的方法。该奖项体现了通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，NSF 的法定使命被认为值得支持。