Flapping Wing MAV Design Software Suite

AVID will develop an integrated analysis and design suite for flapping wing MAVs. Such a tool fills a void present in the existing MAV development process. It will enable rigorous multi-disciplinary engineering analysis and design optimization before construction. In this way, deeper understanding of technology and physics can be exploited in future systems to maximize capability. Existing software will be extensively leveraged to yield a highly capable tool by the end of Phase II. AVID will concentrate its effort on developing coordinated methodologies for geometric modeling, aerodynamics, structures, aeroelastics, power, mass properties, stability, trim, control, flight performance and maneuverability for generic flapping concepts at the micro air vehicle scale. The interactive software tool that is developed here will be capable of modeling a variety of flapping concepts and will integrate the results between disciplines in to simulation models that can be exported into more rich environments, as well as enabling thorough optimization of the concept for mission performance with multidisciplinary objectives and constraints. AVID will validate these analyses against data that are available from a variety of sources, and at the end of the project, will demonstrate the ability to suggest improved designs and validation experiments. BENEFIT: Development of an integrated analysis and design suite for flapping wing MAVs will be made commercially available to designers and researchers in the UAV field throughout the industry, public sector, and academia. Industry experts estimate the UAV market will more than double in size, from US$3.4B to US$7.3B, over the next decade with the most significant catalyst being UAV interest by the US military. American MAV designers would be greatly aided by the software suite proposed for Phase II. Such integrated software is essential to designing a vehicle capable of the hover and “perch and stare” operations that will greatly improve the operational utility of this class of vehicle. It will also facilitate direct comparison of mission performance across disparate vehicle configurations. It will enable rigorous multi-disciplinary engineering analysis and design optimization before construction. In this way, deeper understanding of technology and physics can be exploited in future systems to maximize capability.