A two-dimensional computational study on the fluid–structure interaction cause of wing pitch changes in dipteran flapping flight

Abstract

SUMMARY In this study, the passive pitching due to wing torsional flexibility and its lift generation in dipteran flight were investigated using (a) the non-linear finite element method for the fluid–structure interaction,which analyzes the precise motions of the passive pitching of the wing interacting with the surrounding fluid flow, (b) the fluid–structure interaction similarity law, which characterizes insect flight, (c) the lumped torsional flexibility model as a simplified dipteran wing, and (d) the analytical wing model, which explains the characteristics of the passive pitching motion in the simulation. Given sinusoidal flapping with a frequency below the natural frequency of the wing torsion, the resulting passive pitching in the steady state, under fluid damping, is approximately sinusoidal with the advanced phase shift. We demonstrate that the generated lift can support the weight of some Diptera.