Numerical investigations of bird flapping flight: stability, efficiency and loads alleviation

Chatelain, Philippe;et.al.
(2025) MMEC Seminar series — Location: MIT MECHE (21.October.2025)

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Abstract
Flapping flight in birds presents a rich interplay between biomechanics, aerodynamics, and control, offering insights into both individual flight stability and collective energy-saving strategies. This presentation explores the dynamics of flapping flight through a combination of stability analysis and high-fidelity wake modeling. A reduced-order biomechanical model is used to identify periodic flight regimes and assess their stability via Floquet theory, revealing how tail configuration influences both energy consumption and the robustness of flight. Complementing this, a simulation framework coupling morphing wing models with vorticity-based flow solvers captures the complex wake structures generated by flapping wings and their exploitation in formation flight. The results demonstrate how birds can achieve significant energy savings by synchronizing their wingbeats and positioning themselves strategically within the leader’s wake. Building on these insights, ongoing work investigates simplified models for disturbance rejection in gliding flight, focusing on the synergy between the instantaneous compliance-based response of the musculo-skeletal system and the delayed active reflex-based responses.
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Chatelain, P., & et al. (2025). Numerical investigations of bird flapping flight: stability, efficiency and loads alleviation. MMEC Seminar series, MIT MECHE. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/260597