Bio-locomotion: Flapping Flight 

The flapping motion is used by all flying creatures and even by many aquatic animals for swimming. This research focuses on the mechanism of flapping as used by insects, birds and bats to generate the unsteady forces that allow them to fly and maneuver.

Publications

Journal

1. Windes, P. Tafti, D.K. and Mueller, R. “Analysis of a 180-degree U-turn maneuver executed by a Hipposiderid bat,” PLOS ONE. Accepted Oct. 2020
2. Windes, P. Tafti, D.K. and Müller, R. “Kinematic and aerodynamic analysis of a bat performing a turning-ascending maneuver,” Bioinspir. & Biomim. Accepted Sep. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1088/17483190/abb78d
3. Rahman, A. and Tafti, D.K., “The role of vortex-vortex interactions in thrust production for a plunging flat plate,” J. Struct. and Fluids 96, July 2020, 103011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfluidstructs.2020.103011
4. Windes, P., Tafti, D. K., Müller, R. “Determination of spatial fidelity required to accurately mimic the flight dynamics of a bat,” & Biomim, August 2019, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/ab3e2a
5. Sekhar, S. Windes, P., Fan, X., Tafti, D.K. “Canonical Description of Wing Kinematics and Dynamics for a Straight Flying Insectivorous Bat (Hipposideros Pratti)”, PLoS ONE 14(6) e0218672, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218672
6. Windes, P., Fan, X., Bender, M.,Tafti, D.K., Müller, R. "A computational investigation of lift generation and power expenditure of Pratt's roundleaf bat (Hipposideros pratti) in forward flight," PLoS ONE 13(11), November 28, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207613
7. Viswanath, K., Nagendra, K., Cotter, J., Frauenthal, M. and and Tafti, D.K. Straight-Line Climbing Flight Aerodynamics of a Fruit Bat, Physics of Fluids 26 021901 (2014).                                    https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4864297
8. Gemmel, B. J., Costello, J. H., Colin, S. P., Colin, S. J., Dabiri, J. O., Tafti, D. K., Priya, S., Passive energy recapture in jellyfish contributes to propulsive advantage over other metazoans, Proc. Nat. Acad. of Sciences vol. 110 no. 44 17904-17909,                                https://doi.org/1073/pnas.1306983110
9. Viswanath, K. and Tafti, D. K., Effect of Stroke Deviation on Forward Flapping Flight, AIAA J. Vol. 51, No. 1, January 2013.
10. Viswanath K., Tafti D. K., Effect of Frontal Gusts on Forward Flapping Flight, AIAA J., 48(9), pp. 2049-2062,Sep. 2010.
11. Gopalakrishnan, P. and Tafti, D. K., Effect of Wing Flexibility on Lift and Thrust Production in Flapping Flight, AIAA Journal 48(5), pp. 865-877, 2010.
12. Gopalakrishnan, P. and Tafti, D. K., Effect of Rotation and Angle of Attack on Force Production of Flapping Flights, AIAA Journal, 47(11), pp. 2505-2518, 2009.

Conference

1. Fan, X., Windes, P. and Tafti, D.K., Sekhar, S., Bender, M, Kurdila, A., Mueller, R. “Proper Orthogonal Decomposition of an insectivorous bat in straight and level flight,” AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition 2018. January 8-12, 2018, Kissimmee, FL.
2. Viswanath, K. Nagendra, D. Tafti. Climbing Flight of a Fruit Bat Deconstructed, AIAA SCITECH 2014. 13-17 January 2014, Maryland, USA.
3. Viswanath, K. and Tafti D. K., Effect of Stroke Deviation on Forward Flapping Flight, 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Nashville, Tennessee. 9-12 January 2012.
4. Tafti D. K., The Unsteady Dynamics of a Flapping Wing, Thirty Seventh National and Fourth International Conference on Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power, NCFMFP2010, IIT-Madras, India, December 16-18, 2010.
5. Viswanath K. and Tafti, D. K., Effect of Frontal Gusts on Flexible Wings on Forward Flapping Flight, AIAA-2010-4869, AIAA 40th Fluids Dynamics Exhibit and Conference, Chicago, Illinois, June 28-July 1, 2010.
6. Gopalakrishnan, P. and Tafti, D. K., Effect of Reynolds number, tip shape and stroke deviation on Flapping Flight, AIAA 39th Fluid Dynamic Conference, San Antonio, TX., June 22-25, 2009.
7. Gopalakrishnan, P. and Tafti, D. K., Effect of Phasing of Rotation on Delayed Stall in Flapping Flights Related to Mavs at Re=10000, AIAA 38th Fluid Dynamic Conference, Seattle, Washington., June 2008.