Introduction
Harvey pursued her interest in gulls during her Master’s in Zoology at the University of British Columbia, following her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. She continued this research during her doctoral studies at the University of Michigan and has recently become a faculty member at UC Davis after completing her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering.
In a Nature publication, Harvey and her colleagues from the University of Michigan analyzed the flight dynamics of 22 bird species, in which Harvey created equations to describe the birds’ inertial properties, including their center of gravity and neutral point. In general, aircraft are designed to be either stable or unstable. A stable aircraft will return to steady flight after being perturbed, such as by a wind gust, which is desirable for an airliner but not for highly maneuverable aircraft that are designed to be unstable.
Harvey and her colleagues demonstrated in their Nature article that nearly all of the bird species they examined are capable of both stable and unstable flight, and they utilize wing movements to transition between these two modes.
Flight
The recent research builds upon the prior work and integrates aerodynamic studies utilizing 3D-printed gull models and wings in a wind tunnel, as well as computer simulations of inertial forces. Through this, the study determined how gulls achieve stability along their long axis by adjusting their elbow and wrist joints and changing the shape of their wings in response to disturbances along that axis. This allowed the team to predict the gulls’ flying characteristics and the speed at which they could recuperate from disruptions such as gusts. The research provides insight into the bird’s “controllable range” and how bird flight dynamics can be applied to aircraft.
As a result, the study of nature’s creations can assist aerospace engineers in developing more efficient airliner flight by examining the bird’s internal maneuvers and patterns that enable it to maintain flight stability, which can lead to innovative ways to improve technology and revolutionize the airline industry.