Bioinspired aerodynamic enhancements: optimizing cambered airfoils through dragonfly wing corrugations and resilin

Abstract The dynamic camber formation based on corrugation-resilin interactions at vein joints in dragonfly wing is proposed and the mechanism in optimizing aerodynamic performance via cross-sectional morphing is investigated. The results demonstrate that airfoils with dynamic camber can enhance both the aerodynamic forces and thrust efficiency compared to rigid ones, under a certain phase difference of 240°–270° relative to the flapping motion. Their deformation patterns throughout one flapping cycle closely align with those observed in insects. Further analysis on camber positions reveals that leading-edge camber (around 20% chord) boosts lift by up to 84%, while trailing-edge camber (around 60%–80% chord) enhances thrust by up to 107%. It is concluded that camber deformation enabled by corrugation and resilin-bearing vein joints is an adaptive optimization for aerodynamics in dragonflies. The findings provide valuable insights for the Flapping-wing Micro Air Vehicle (FMAV), particularly those featuring actively deformable airfoils.