Wang Ruojun, Jiang Zengyan, Zhang Yuan, Fan Luyao, Yin Weilong
Center for Composite Materials and Structures, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China.
Aerodynamics Research Institute, AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China), Harbin 150080, China.
Materials (Basel). 2025 Jul 24;18(15):3474. doi: 10.3390/ma18153474.
Due to its superior maneuverability and concealment, the micro flapping-wing aircraft has great application prospects in both military and civilian fields. However, the development and optimization of lightweight materials have always been the key factors limiting performance enhancement. This paper designs the flapping mechanism of a single-degree-of-freedom miniature flapping wing aircraft. In this study, T800 carbon fiber composite material was used as the frame material. Three typical wing membrane materials, namely polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide (PI), and non-woven kite fabric, were selected for comparative analysis. Three flapping wing configurations with different stiffness were proposed. These wings adopted carbon fiber composite material frames. The wing membrane material is bonded to the frame through a coating. Inspired by bionics, a flapping wing that mimics the membrane vein structure of insect wings is designed. By changing the type of membrane material and the distribution of carbon fiber composite materials on the wing, the stiffness of the flapping wing can be controlled, thereby affecting the mechanical properties of the flapping wing aircraft. The modal analysis of the flapping-wing structure was conducted using the finite element analysis method, and the experimental prototype was fabricated by using 3D printing technology. To evaluate the influence of different wing membrane materials on lift performance, a high-precision force measurement experimental platform was built, systematic tests were carried out, and the lift characteristics under different flapping frequencies were analyzed. Through computational modeling and experiments, it has been proven that under the same flapping wing frequency, the T800 carbon fiber composite material frame can significantly improve the stiffness and durability of the flapping wing. In addition, the selection of wing membrane materials has a significant impact on lift performance. Among the test materials, the PET wing film demonstrated excellent stability and lift performance under high-frequency conditions. This research provides crucial experimental evidence for the optimal selection of wing membrane materials for micro flapping-wing aircraft, verifies the application potential of T800 carbon fiber composite materials in micro flapping-wing aircraft, and opens up new avenues for the application of advanced composite materials in high-performance micro flapping-wing aircraft.
由于其卓越的机动性和隐蔽性，微型扑翼飞机在军事和民用领域都具有巨大的应用前景。然而，轻质材料的开发和优化一直是限制性能提升的关键因素。本文设计了单自由度微型扑翼飞机的扑翼机构。在本研究中，采用T800碳纤维复合材料作为框架材料。选择了三种典型的翼膜材料，即聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯（PET）、聚酰亚胺（PI）和无纺风筝布进行对比分析。提出了三种具有不同刚度的扑翼构型。这些机翼采用碳纤维复合材料框架。翼膜材料通过涂层与框架粘结。受仿生学启发，设计了一种模仿昆虫翅膀膜脉结构的扑翼。通过改变膜材料的类型和碳纤维复合材料在机翼上的分布，可以控制扑翼的刚度，从而影响扑翼飞机的力学性能。采用有限元分析方法对扑翼结构进行模态分析，并利用3D打印技术制作了实验样机。为了评估不同翼膜材料对升力性能的影响，搭建了高精度测力实验平台，进行了系统测试，并分析了不同扑翼频率下的升力特性。通过计算建模和实验证明，在相同的扑翼频率下，T800碳纤维复合材料框架可以显著提高扑翼的刚度和耐久性。此外，翼膜材料的选择对升力性能有显著影响。在测试材料中，PET翼膜在高频条件下表现出优异的稳定性和升力性能。本研究为微型扑翼飞机翼膜材料的优化选择提供了关键实验依据，验证了T800碳纤维复合材料在微型扑翼飞机中的应用潜力，为先进复合材料在高性能微型扑翼飞机中的应用开辟了新途径。
