Aerodynamic explanation of flight speed limits in hawkmoth-like flapping-wing insects

The hawkmoth is able to sustain a steady hover or level flight at lower speeds. However, previous wind tunnel experiments have suggested that long sequences of steady forward flight are less common at higher flying speeds (> 4.0 m/s) despite changes to the flight posture. This flying speed is about one-half of the theoretical prediction based on its body mass. It is unclear why hawkmoths have not been observed achieving steady flight at higher speeds. This paper aims to compare the aerodynamics involved in hawkmoth hovering to those in forward flight. High-speed video recordings and three-dimensional surface reconstruction were used to capture a hawkmoth's wing kinematics when hovering and at forward flight speeds of 2 and 4 m/s. Following reconstruction, the insect model was sim-ulated using an in-house immersed-boundary-method based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver. The CFD solver provided a quantitative measure of the force generation, power consumption, and vortex structures generated during sustained flight. These results enabled the analysis of certain trends in how a hawkmoth adjusts flapping kinematics and its associated unsteady aerodynamics changes across different flight speeds. The results show that the moth minimizes drag as flying speed increases, but it immediately loses its lift producing upstroke even at the slow forward flight speed (2 m/s). A significant amount of negative lift is generated during upstrokes at the high forward flying speed (4 m/s). This negative lift in the upstroke potentially reduces maximum sustained flight speeds. This paper provides physical insight into the low-speed flights in flying insects.

Automated summary

This study compares the aerodynamics of hawkmoths during hovering and forward flight. The results show that hawkmoths minimize drag at higher speeds but lose lift production during upstrokes, potentially reducing their maximum sustained flight speeds.