Inflected wings in flight: Uniform flow of stresses makes strong and light wings for stable flight.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

Flying animals morph and flex their wings during their flight. Their wings morph with the turbulent flow created around them. The wings of modern airplanes do not have this ability. In this study we show that the ability to flex the wings leads to greater stability (higher flutter speed), and that this is due to the more uniform distribution of stresses in the flexing wing. This way the flexing wing becomes the lightest per unit of flapping force, or the strongest per unit of weight.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Bejan, Adrian

Cited Authors

Mardanpour, P; Izadpanahi, E; Powell, S; Rastkar, S; Bejan, A

Published Date

January 2021

Published In

Journal of Theoretical Biology

Volume / Issue

508 /

Start / End Page

110452 -

PubMed ID

32828843

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

1095-8541

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0022-5193

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1016/j.jtbi.2020.110452

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