Using dragonfly wings to make the Boeing 777 lighter, stronger and more durable

Throughout history, humans have looked to and drawn inspiration from many aspects of nature to improve flight efficiency, maneuverability, and stability. And since the days of Leonardo da Vinci, nature-inspired design, also known as biomimicry or bio-inspired design, has played and continues to play an important role in the development of aviation.

Now, in a paper published in advanced science, Masood Akbarzadeh of the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania and his former Ph.D. Student Hao Zheng drew on the principles of biomimicry to redesign the Boeing 777, taking inspiration from the wing of a dragonfly.

Why dragonfly?

“Nature is a great teacher in telling us how to adapt systems,” says Akbarzadeh. “And when you look at a dragonfly, you see wings that have evolved over millions of years into an incredibly lightweight, efficient and strong structure.”

He explains that he and his team were interested in the geometry of the surface of the feathers and the internal structure of the veins. He says the complex hierarchical configuration of the wing provides strength and flexibility and allows dragonflies to generate lift and maneuver rapidly.

“When we looked closely at the pattern on the dragonfly’s wing, we realized it consisted of many convex polygons,” says Akbarzadeh.

“The wing’s convex network is similar to the efficient networks we design using the method of graphic statics that we research and develop in the lab,” he says. “We thought, ‘Can we use our geometry-based analysis tools to analyze these patterns and recreate them under different conditions for other types of feathers?'”

wing dissecting

The researchers analyzed the intricacies of the geometric vein network of a dragonfly wing by employing a method called Maxwell’s reciprocal diagram, proposed by James Clerk Maxwell in 1864. This analysis tool, used to calculate the balance of forces in a system, played a key role in decoding the physics of dragonfly wing structure.

“There was a correlation between the thickness of the connected constituent components, or members, and the in-plane equilibrium of that network,” says Akbarzadeh. “In simple terms, it’s like taking the vascular network of a dragonfly, stretching it from all sides, and finding that the overall structure functions perfectly as a tensile network, at least on the 2D plane.”

“This was surprising,” he says, “because the wing is designed for bending behavior associated with flapping movements, rather than just a tension or compression network.”

This discovery enabled the researchers to investigate the behavior of the wing structure by mimicking the structural pattern of the wing. “Ultimately, we showed that this approach can result in more efficient wing structures against bending out of the aircraft,” says Akbarzadeh.

machine-learning from nature

The team divided the wing’s geometry into an inner vascular network and outer edges. With this, they were able to explore how the internal structures within the dragonfly’s wing might be affected by other components.

Akbarzadeh says, “We used dragonfly wing form and force diagrams as a training data set to develop our machine learning model, which can generate structural networks that closely reflect the actual geometry of the wing.” Is.”

This discovery provided valuable data for training their machine-learning algorithms.

“Imagine an airplane wing designed according to the principles seen in the dragonfly wing,” says Akbarzadeh. “By doing so, we could potentially create lighter, more efficient airplanes using less material, which would lead to substantial savings in fuel and costs, not to mention a substantial reduction in aviation’s environmental footprint.”

turning theory into reality

Team members applied their discovery to real-world scenarios by incorporating dragonfly-inspired designs into the 2D extruded airframe of a Boeing 777 wing at 1:120 scale and observed significant improvements in the structural efficiency of the wings.

The dragonfly design increased the stiffness of the outside of the aircraft by an astonishing 25%, revealing the potential for a lighter and more efficient wing design.

“This not only confirms the practicality of the research, but also offers a fascinating glimpse into the future of aviation,” says Akbarzadeh.

flying to the future

Looking ahead, the team plans to dig deeper into the 3D structure of the dragonfly wing, hoping to uncover further design inspirations. They also hope to refine their machine learning model, enhance its predictive capabilities, and increase the accuracy of artificial structure recreations.

“This study highlights the untapped potential of nature-inspired design,” says Akbarzadeh. “Through the synergistic fusion of machine learning, structural biology and engineering, a new frontier is emerging, promising a wave of innovation across various engineering disciplines.”

“As we continue to peer into the complex structures of the natural world for inspiration, who knows what other secrets we may uncover? From dragonflies to other winged animals, our journey of discovery is just beginning. ”