Experimental investigation on flow characteristics of a four-wing micro air vehicle

The aim of current research work on micro air vehicles is to realize their autonomous control, i.e. building a library for a lookup table that would apply to micro electronics. In doing so, comprehensive flight tests need to be carried out. In this study, a four-wing flapping MAV is built and a multi-discipline approach is used to design the MAV model. Precision manufacturing technology is introduced here. The finished micro air vehicle has a weight of 8 g and is tested for flight by remote control. The micro air vehicle can perform both hovering and forward flight with high maneuverability. Forward flight is investigated first in this paper. Particle image velocimetry system is employed to examine unsteady aerodynamic performance in selected flight conditions. The study reveals that the micro air vehicle model will provide enough lift at a 30° angle of attack and flapping frequency of 12 Hz, which is consistent with real-life forward flight observations.