Design and Research of a Bionic Butterfly Aircraft

Oriented towards the possible future direction of bionic vehicles for military and civil applications, the design and fabrication of a bionic butterfly aircraft is proposed. To address the problems of complex transmission mechanism and heavy weight in traditional flapping-wing aircraft, a bionic butterfly flapping-wing aircraft driven directly by the actuator was designed and manufactured. Firstly, the mechanism of high lift force of butterflies was studied and analyzed, and it was believed that the drag principle, the formation of vortex rings, and the pitching motion of the body were three key factors. Subsequently, a preliminary design of the structure was conducted, and the feasibility of the scheme was verified through simulation. Finally, the whole aircraft was manufactured through processing and flight tests were conducted. The bionic butterfly aircraft, driven directly by the actuator, has a wingspan of 74 cm, a fuselage length of 40 cm, and a total weight of 56.5 g.