Bringing wings into the fold: Comparative morphological characteristics of the grasshopper and dragonfly hindwings

On-Demand

Presenting Author(s)

SF

Siti Fauziyah

-
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Champaign, Illinois

Co-Author(s)

KL

Kyun J. Lee

Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
AW

Aimy Wissa

Assistant professor
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey
JW

Jessica L. Ware

Associate Curator, Odonata & non-Holometabolous Minor Orders
American Museum of Natural History
New York, New York
Marianne Alleyne

Assistant Professor
University of Illinois
Champaign, Illinois

Insect wings have been widely studied for their lightweight and flexible structure. Dragonflies are representative of insects that does not fold their wings and have the ability to perform complex maneuvers, while grasshoppers are able to fold their wings when not airborne and are good flyers and excellent gliders once the wings are deployed for flight. Even though folding and unfolding wings looks like a simple mechanism, but it requires the wing to be flexible enough to be folded, but also to be stiff and rigid to avoid damage during flight. Previous studies have shown that the flexibility of the insect wings is influenced by the material properties of the cuticle and the geometry of the wing. Our knowledge of how the material properties affect the flexibility of the wing, as well as how to fabricate a functional insect wing that can be folded, is still rudimentary. In our research we address how the geometry of hindwing influences aerodynamic forces experienced during gliding in dragonflies and grasshoppers. By using XRadia micro computed tomography to scan wings we created a 3D model which was then printed using a SLA 3D printer. Using this method, I was able to fabricate scaled prototypes of the hindwings to test in a wind tunnel, thus linking geometry and aerodynamic performance. In addition, using the scanning electron microscope, I observe the microstructure of the hindwings. Our work will provide further insights into the guided design of bioinspired materials and geometries for use in gliding robotic vehicles.