Role of the dipole jet in inclined stroke plane kinematics of insect flight

The two-dimensional (2D) inclined stroke plane kinematics of insect wing is studied for various stroke plane angles using the Immersed Boundary (IB) solver. The numerical results revealed the dominant lift enhancement mechanisms for this class of flows. The generated dipole was analyzed to find the maximum velocity, inclination and spread. The analysis of these dipole characteristics for the different stroke plane angles exposed the alternate method to study the vertical force variation with the stroke plane angles. Lift enhancement mechanisms and dipole characteristics complement the high vertical force coefficient for the stroke plane angle of 60˚ commonly used by dragonflies during hover. The location of the dipole identified a region of influence around the wing and demonstrated the role of the dipole jet in multi-body dynamics and wall effects