Jesse Caldwell & Jon Schwank MAE 268

 Flight on micro level  Types of Flight (MAV’s)  Rotary  Flapping  MAV Aerodynamics  Current Designs  Future Applications  Possible Improvements

 Can flight be achieved on MEMS level?  No self-contained MEMS flyers yet  3 types of locomotion:  Classical airfoil, Re > 10 4  Flapping flight,10<Re<10 4  Drag-based, Re<10

 Flight at the micro level is distinctly different  Laminar flow, Re < 10 3  Viscous forces dominate  Non-steady state locomotion  Boundary layer thickness ~ chord length

 Conventional aerodynamics only accounts for ~30% of MAV lift  Increase in drag coefficient  Large decrease in lift to drag ratio  Flight is not possible with conventional aerodynamics alone

Generating more lift:  Unsteady flapping or rotation – Can generate two additional lift mechanisms  Mimicking Insects  Extremely difficult to mimic Typical insect wing stroke showing the wing tip location and angle of attack.

 Three Lift Mechanisms  Conventional Aerodynamics  Leading Edge Vorticity (LEV)  Wake capture Lift

 Can still harness all three MAV lift forces w/o mimicking insects  Blade-vortex interaction ~wake capture  LEV form on leading edge  Advantages to Rotary  Simple to control  Easy to fabricate  Disadvantages  Large surface beneath for MEMS

 Implantation of MEMS into Insects  Surveillance & intelligence  Search & rescue  Military

 Stacking comb drives  Relieves Surface Area  2-3 Story Stack Up  Increases force 5 times

Direct conversion to rotary motion  Low actuation voltage ~ V  Easily Controlled (Square Wave)  Advantages  Generates large torques  Disadvantages  Failure at high speeds

 Gear Train  Multiple gears to increase Torque or Speed  Convert high torque to high speed  Ideal solution for TRA

 Flight on the Micro level  What works and What doesn’t  Looking to nature  Current Design  Future Ideas  Possible Improvements