Dynamic stability of flapping-wing vehicles with different wing damage forms

Investigating the dynamic stability of flapping-wing vehicles (FWVs) is a critical foundation for achieving insect-like agile flight control. Present studies on flight dynamic stability have focused on intact insects or FWVs. Based on our previous work on the aerodynamics of different damaged wings, this study investigates the flight stability of four hovering damaged FWVs with different unilateral wing damage forms. All damaged FWVs suffered area loss in various locations of their right wings, with the lost area set as a uniform 20% of the wing surface. Results showed that under hovering flight conditions, the stability modal structures of all damaged FWVs remained unchanged in both longitudinal and lateral motions compared to the intact one. Meanwhile, the time constants and motions of each mode were similar to those of the intact one. Moreover, there was almost no difference in the stability characteristics among different damaged FWVs, which suggested that the location of wing area loss did not affect the dynamic stability of damaged FWVs. This work provides a reference for designing the control systems for FWVs coping with random wing damage.