Fluid-dynamic characteristics of a bristled wing
Open Access
- 1 September 2002
- journal article
- Published by The Company of Biologists in Journal Of Experimental Biology
- Vol. 205 (17), 2737-2744
- https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.205.17.2737
Abstract
Thrips fly at a chord-based Reynolds number of approximately 10 using bristled rather than solid wings. We tested two dynamically scaled mechanical models of a thrips forewing. In the bristled design, cylindrical rods model the bristles of the forewing; the solid design was identical to the bristled one in shape, but the spaces between the `bristles' were filled in by membrane. We studied four different motion patterns: (i) forward motion at a constant forward velocity, (ii) forward motion at a translational acceleration, (iii) rotational motion at a constant angular velocity and (iv)rotational motion at an angular acceleration. Fluid-dynamic forces acting on the bristled model wing were a little smaller than those on the solid wing. Therefore, the bristled wing of a thrips cannot be explained in terms of increased fluid-dynamic forces.Keywords
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