Abstract
IN this communication I report measurements of lift and drag forces acting on corrugated aerofoils. The chordal profile of the wings in many orders of insects is corrugated1 and I have used scale models of a wing section of this type found in the hover fly Syrphus balteatus (Diptera, Syrphidae). The experimental profile is shown in Fig. 1d. The life-size chord length is 2.9 mm, and occurs 3.7 mm distal to the wing-root hinge, in a total unilateral wing length of 11.5 mm. (There is no special reason either for selecting this particular section or for choosing S. balteatus.) The model profiles were 22 times life size (chord length = 6.4 cm) and were made of stainless steel 100 µm thick. They were built to uniform chordal profile, with spans of 7.17 cm or 3.39 cm, giving aspect ratios of 1.12 and 0.53, respectively—both very low. An attempt was made to model the thick leading edge vein of the real wing by constructing the model leading edge from a stainless steel rod (diameter 1.7 mm).
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References
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REES, C. Aerodynamic properties of an insect wing section and a smooth aerofoil compared. Nature 258, 141–142 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/258141a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/258141a0
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