Videos

Free flight of a numerical butterfly

Tightly coupled simulation of a Monarch butterfly model. White dotted lines represent the trajectories observed from real Monarch butterflies. In the numerical model the Navier-Stokes equations are solved around the flapping wings, which are attached to the body with a torsional spring. The body dynamics equations of motion are solved that are influenced by and, at the same time, influences the unsteady aerodynamics and the torsional spring dynamics. Only the flapping amplitude is imposed on the wings. The wing and body rotations are purely passive. The resulting trajectory is an outcome of the combined dynamics.

Marsbee research featured on NASA 360


Monarch butterfly research featured in WHNT19

FYFD Interview on Marsbees at APS Division of Fluid Dynamics 2017


3D Reconstruction of a Monarch butterfly in free flight


3D Body trajectory and wing motions of a Monarch butterfly


3D Body trajectory of a Monarch butterfly


Chordwise wing motion of a Monarch butterfly


Vorticity contours around a purely plunging chordwise flexible airfoil in forward flight


Vortical structures around a flapping low aspect ratio wing in a tunnel