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First published online February 12, 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology 210, 881-896 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02704

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A computational investigation of the three-dimensional unsteady aerodynamics of Drosophila hovering and maneuvering

Ravi Ramamurti^* and William C. Sandberg

Laboratory for Computational Physics and Fluid Dynamics, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: ravi{at}lcp.nrl.navy.mil)

Accepted 22 December 2006

Three-dimensional unsteady computations of the flow past a fruit fly Drosophila under hovering and free flight conditions are computed. The kinematics of the wings and the body of the fruit fly are prescribed from experimental observations. The computed unsteady lift and thrust forces are validated with experimental results and are in excellent agreement. The unsteady aerodynamic origin of the time-varying yaw moment is identified. The differences in the kinematics between the right and the left wings show that subtle change in the stroke angle and deviation angle can result in the yaw moment for the turning maneuver. The computed yaw moment reaches a peak value at the beginning of the maneuver and remains positive throughout the remainder of the maneuver. The origin of the yaw moment is investigated by computing the center of pressures on each wing and the individual moment arms. This investigation leads to the conclusion that it is the forward force and a component of the lift force that combine to produce the turning moment while the side force alone produces the restoring torque during the maneuver. The vorticity shed from the wing's leading edge and the tips show a loop like structure that during stroke reversals pinches off into -like structures that have not been previously observed in the wakes of flapping fliers.

Key words: flapping wings, insect flight, insect hovering, insect maneuvering, Drosophila, incompressible flow, unstructured grid, unsteady aerodynamics

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