Approximate Aeroelastic Modeling of Flapping Wings in Hover

A nonlinear aeroelastic model suitable for flexible insectlike flapping wings in hover is presented. The aeroelastic model is obtained by coupling a nonlinear structural dynamic model based on MARC, with a potential-flow-based approximate aerodynamic model that consists of leading-edge vortices and a wake model. The aeroelastic response is obtained using an updated Lagrangian method. The paper describes validation studies conducted on the structural dynamic model, aerodynamic comparisons, and aeroelastic studies conducted on isotropic and anisotropic Zimmerman wings. The results demonstrate the suitability of MARC for modeling anisotropic wings undergoing insectlike wing kinematics. For the aeroelastic cases considered, the approximate model shows acceptable agreement with computational-fluid-dynamics-based and experimental results. The approximate model captured several important trends correctly.