Studying the aerodynamics of Dipteran insect flight

Two-winged insects (Dipterans) have a highly-specialized flight apparatus, enabling them to precisely control the unsteady aerodynamic forces and torques produced by their rapidly beating wings. However, the flight mechanisms are very diverse across Diptera: For example, the vastly studied fruit flies beat their wings at a frequency of around 200 Hz, whereas mosquitoes beat their wings at a frequency of 700 Hz. Therefore, this project is aimed at understanding the flight diversification in Diptera through aerodynamic mechanisms to further understand the aero-dynamics of insect flight. The overall objectives are formulated in different sub-projects as following: 1. To understand viscous effect in Added mass and Wagner forces during vortex formation in different flapping mechanisms 2. To understand the effect of wake capture in Added mass and Wagner forces 3. To unravel the diversification of aerodynamic mechanisms in Diptera and test the hypothesis of smart wing rotations in mosquitoes 4. To advance the knowledge of aerodynamic mechanisms involved in sharp maneuvering actions during flight