Gearless flapping mechanism for micro-aerial vehicle

• Main Author: Yong, Teck Sin.
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Aeronautical engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/39639
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Micro-Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) have been an area of interest in the community due to their vast potential for many applications, ranging from military to civilian industries. However, the current technology is still relatively in its infancy stages. The flight time of MAVs currently is limited, as well as their flexibility and loadcarrying capabilities. As such, their value is still rather limited. Conventional flight technologies comprised mainly of fixed wing aircraft and rotary wing aircraft and these technologies have been conveniently adapted on MAVs. However, for MAVs, which operate on a much smaller scale and flight regimes vastly different from that of the conventional aircrafts and helicopters, fixed wing and rotary wing technologies are not the most effectiveness means of flight. In the natural world, insects and birds have been utilising flapping flight very effectively and such a flight mechanism is likely the most appropriate for MAVs. This study focuses on the study of the flapping wing mechanism on MAVs. A literature review is performed on the flapping mechanism used on MAVs currently, and of flapping wing mechanism in insects. Besides reviewing the literature, this study has explored the fabrication of MAV wings in detail, as well as portions of the MAV body. In addition, an experimental investigation was performed on the novel idea of a gearless flapping mechanism – where magnetism was utilised to replace conventional crank gears and linkages means of flapping, thus possibly reducing overall weight of MAV and provide a flapping mechanism that more closely resembles the relax-pull action of a muscle. There are two means where such a novel mechanism can be achieved – either by rotating the base magnet with a motor to alternate its polarity, or by replacing the base magnet with a solenoid and changing the current flow direction to alternate the polarity. A characterisation of the neodymium magnetic forces in relation to the gap distances was also performed to examine the forces that are produced. In the same section, a 3 | P a g e theoretical evaluation of the solenoid weight, magnetic flux produced, and magnetic force produced was also performed. From the work performed, this study concluded that the use of magnetic mechanism to design a wing-flapping mechanism is feasible but recommend further in depth study. In addition, between the two means of achieving the novel idea of gearless flapping mechanism, the study recommended a focus on use of solenoid over the use of a rotating base magnet. The study also outlined limitations of this study as well as future recommendations for research.