Sweep- and dihedral-angle effects on gliding aerodynamics of a migratory dragonfly using a faithful hindwing model

Sweep- and dihedral-angle effects on gliding aerodynamics of a migratory dragonfly using a faithful hindwing model | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Sweep- and dihedral-angle effects on gliding aerodynamics of a migratory dragonfly using a faithful hindwing model Kazuhisa Chiba This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6963618/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study conducts a numerical investigation of the aerodynamic characteristics of the hindwing of Pantala flavescens, a migratory dragonfly, with particular emphasis on quantifying the effects of sweep and dihedral angles during gliding flight. Unlike most insect species that rely predominantly on flapping flight, dragonflies alternate between flapping and gliding, using the latter to conserve energy during less dynamic phases. Their wings feature a corrugated structure formed by thin membranes stretched over a complex vein network. Previous studies have demonstrated that the interaction between the leading-edge separation vortex and the lambda-vortex enables such wings to sustain high aerodynamic performance at low Reynolds numbers. However, their three-dimensional aerodynamic characteristics remain insufficiently understood from a quantitative standpoint. Building upon prior work in which a faithful geometric model of the hindwing was constructed from high-resolution three-dimensional scan data, the present study systematically explores the influence of hindwing geometry on aerodynamic performance. In particular, parametric variations in sweep and dihedral angles are evaluated using steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations to elucidate the underlying flow mechanisms responsible for the observed aerodynamic trends. %he sweep angle was found to exert a dominant influence on aerodynamic efficiency, with its impact on the lift-to-drag ratio reaching one order of magnitude greater than that of the dihedral angle. The aerodynamic performance is found to be robust across variations in angle of attack and hindwing orientation. Flow visualizations further identify the leading-edge vortices and their stabilization as key contributors to aerodynamic robustness. Migratory dragonfly Corrugated wing Gliding flight Three-dimensional scanning Aerodynamic characteristics Steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes computations Sweep and dihedral angles Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6963618","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":482769875,"identity":"ed14f116-f4aa-4b7c-a359-b4c2d3986a6c","order_by":0,"name":"Kazuhisa Chiba","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA1ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACCSBmZjA4wMAPE2FsIFaLJEwlkVoYDoB0EQkk248//FxQcEfe+EbywQ8MNXYMzLMJWCPNk5AsPcPgmeG2G2nJEgzHkhkY5xCwT44h4Rgzj8Fhxm03cswYGNgOMDDOSCCghf9hG0iL/eYZ+d8YGP4RoUVaIpkNpCVxg0QOGwNjGxFaJGc8Y5bmMXiWPOPMM2OJxL5kHoJ+kTif/vAzz587tv3tyQ8/fPhmJ2dIKMRQAdBJPIYzSNEBBvISJGsZBaNgFIyCYQ4ABfJBbuYMrB8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kazuhisa","middleName":"","lastName":"Chiba","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-24 08:53:14","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6963618/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6963618/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":90170684,"identity":"551900b3-e952-45a9-8a6a-f331648c801b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-29 11:09:14","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":7642115,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"submitver.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6963618/v1_covered_86d02ca9-bb95-4a7d-bf74-75e821cad449.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Sweep- and dihedral-angle effects on gliding aerodynamics of a migratory dragonfly using a faithful hindwing model","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Migratory dragonfly, Corrugated wing, Gliding flight, Three-dimensional scanning, Aerodynamic characteristics, Steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes computations, Sweep and dihedral angles","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6963618/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6963618/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"This study conducts a numerical investigation of the aerodynamic characteristics of the hindwing of Pantala flavescens, a migratory dragonfly, with particular emphasis on quantifying the effects of sweep and dihedral angles during gliding flight. 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