3D-Printed Flexible Wings With Metamaterial Functionalities

Abstract

 Excellent agreement with simulations  No damage under long-term resonance exc. Design idea and analysis www.metamechanics.net  Metamaterial pattern to control flight aerodynamics and acoustics  Full-scale 3D modeling  Explore possibilities of additive manufacturing and near-resonance flight conditions

Flight Sound of an Insect Wing: Application of Metamaterial Concepts to Bioinspired Flapping Wings

“…These are lightweight structures (of a mass lower than 2% of an insect's total weight) that have a high load-bearing capacity, can cope with attacking aerodynamic forces 10, and accelerate the surrounding air to enable flight 11 . Multiple studies have shown that these abilities originate exclusively from the structure and distribution of a building material 10,12,13,14,15,16 .…”

“…The advances in finite-element techniques enabled to reproduction of complex aerodynamic conditions of different types of flight and to investigate the influence of the material architecture on mechanical and aerodynamic characteristics of insect wings 17,18,19,20 . For example, it was found that intricate venation patterns of the dragonfly and hoverfly wings help to minimize the mass of the wing and to ensure the balance between flexibility and rigidity 21 .…”