Fluid-dynamic characteristics of a bristled wing - PubMed (original) (raw)

. 2002 Sep;205(Pt 17):2737-44.

doi: 10.1242/jeb.205.17.2737.

Affiliations

Fluid-dynamic characteristics of a bristled wing

S Sunada et al. J Exp Biol. 2002 Sep.

Abstract

Thrips fly at a chord-based Reynolds number of approximately 10 using bristled rather than solid wings. We tested two dynamically scaled mechanical models of a thrips forewing. In the bristled design, cylindrical rods model the bristles of the forewing; the solid design was identical to the bristled one in shape, but the spaces between the 'bristles' were filled in by membrane. We studied four different motion patterns: (i) forward motion at a constant forward velocity, (ii) forward motion at a translational acceleration, (iii) rotational motion at a constant angular velocity and (iv) rotational motion at an angular acceleration. Fluid-dynamic forces acting on the bristled model wing were a little smaller than those on the solid wing. Therefore, the bristled wing of a thrips cannot be explained in terms of increased fluid-dynamic forces.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources