Session HT: Invited Session: Insect flight: Aerodynamics, efficiency and evolution

2:00 PM–2:35 PM, Monday, November 19, 2007
Salt Palace Convention Center - Ballroom FH

Chair: Z. Warhaft, Cornell University

Abstract: HT.00001 : Insect Flight: Aerodynamics, Efficiency, and Evolution

2:00 PM–2:35 PM

Preview Abstract

Author:

  Z. Jane Wang
    (Cornell University)

Insects, like birds and fish, locomote via interactions between fluids and flapping wings. Their motion is governed by the Navier-Stokes equation coupled to moving boundaries. In this talk, I will first describe how dragonflies fly: their wing motions and the flows and forces they generate. I will then consider insects in several species and discuss three questions: 1) Is insect flight optimal? 2) How does the efficiency of flapping flight compare to classical fixed-wing flight? 3) How might aerodynamic effects have influenced the evolution of insect flight?