Nov. 6, 2013 — A better understanding of the aerodynamic properties of butterfly wings may lead to improved human-made flight, according to research at The University of Alabama recently funded by the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Amy Lang, associate professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics, was awarded approximately $280,000 by NSF to study the tiny scales on butterfly wings that help lift the insect despite its low speed during flight. Lang, who also works with shark scales, uses bio-inspired engineering to help improve the movement of flow over wings, for instance, specifically by altering the boundary where the air interacts with the moving surface, such as a butterfly wing.
“The butterfly scales are beautifully arranged on the wing, and how the scales are arranged is where the aerodynamic benefit comes in,” Lang said.
The scales covering butterfly and moth wings represent about 190 million years of natural selection for insect flight efficiency, with the Monarch butterfly estimated to have appeared as recently as 250,000 years ago. Evolutionary adaptations in the structure of the scales appear to have led to a unique micro-pattern that reduces drag and likely increases thrust and lift during flapping and glided flight.
One scale on a butterfly wing is as small as a tenth of a millimeter. Arranged like shingles on a roof, the scales stick up slightly, trapping a ball of air under the scale and allowing air to flow smoothly over it, Lang said.
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