Raptor wing morphing with flight speed
Raptor wing morphing with flight speed
In gliding flight, birds morph their wings and tails to control their flight trajectory and speed. Using high-resolution videogrammetry, we reconstructed accurate and detailed three-dimensional geometries of gliding flights for three raptors (barn owl, Tyto alba; tawny owl, Strix aluco, and goshawk, Accipiter gentilis). Wing shapes were highly repeatable and shoulder actuation was a key component of reconfiguring the overall planform and controlling angle of attack. The three birds shared common spanwise patterns of wing twist, an inverse relationship between twist and peak camber, and held their wings depressed below their shoulder in an anhedral configuration. With increased speed, all three birds tended to reduce camber throughout the wing, and their wings bent in a saddle-shape pattern. A number of morphing features suggest that the coordinated movements of the wing and tail support efficient flight, and that the tail may act to modulate wing camber through indirect aeroelastic control.
Cheney, Jorn A.
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Stevenson, Jonathan P. J.
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Durston, Nicholas E.
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Maeda, Masateru
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Song, Jialei
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Megson-Smith, David A.
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Windsor, Shane P.
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Usherwood, James R.
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Bomphrey, Richard J.
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14 July 2021
Cheney, Jorn A.
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Stevenson, Jonathan P. J.
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Durston, Nicholas E.
d85c4143-64c2-435b-b6ec-02f070f176f0
Maeda, Masateru
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Song, Jialei
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Megson-Smith, David A.
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Windsor, Shane P.
be3e4944-d2be-45a4-8100-03c6ca0ebea7
Usherwood, James R.
6fe1d216-042c-4da0-82d7-207282ed1e00
Bomphrey, Richard J.
dff9b5b5-a316-4958-a642-60e756b56eba
Cheney, Jorn A., Stevenson, Jonathan P. J., Durston, Nicholas E., Maeda, Masateru, Song, Jialei, Megson-Smith, David A., Windsor, Shane P., Usherwood, James R. and Bomphrey, Richard J.
(2021)
Raptor wing morphing with flight speed.
Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
(doi:10.1098/rsif.2021.0349).
Abstract
In gliding flight, birds morph their wings and tails to control their flight trajectory and speed. Using high-resolution videogrammetry, we reconstructed accurate and detailed three-dimensional geometries of gliding flights for three raptors (barn owl, Tyto alba; tawny owl, Strix aluco, and goshawk, Accipiter gentilis). Wing shapes were highly repeatable and shoulder actuation was a key component of reconfiguring the overall planform and controlling angle of attack. The three birds shared common spanwise patterns of wing twist, an inverse relationship between twist and peak camber, and held their wings depressed below their shoulder in an anhedral configuration. With increased speed, all three birds tended to reduce camber throughout the wing, and their wings bent in a saddle-shape pattern. A number of morphing features suggest that the coordinated movements of the wing and tail support efficient flight, and that the tail may act to modulate wing camber through indirect aeroelastic control.
Text
rsif.2021.0349
- Version of Record
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Accepted/In Press date: 21 June 2021
Published date: 14 July 2021
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 470640
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/470640
ISSN: 1742-5689
PURE UUID: 71d16d9a-8571-4e99-a0a0-fe131daa00d8
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Date deposited: 17 Oct 2022 16:37
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:16
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Contributors
Author:
Jorn A. Cheney
Author:
Jonathan P. J. Stevenson
Author:
Nicholas E. Durston
Author:
Masateru Maeda
Author:
Jialei Song
Author:
David A. Megson-Smith
Author:
Shane P. Windsor
Author:
James R. Usherwood
Author:
Richard J. Bomphrey
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