A quasi-steady aerodynamic model in consideration of the center of pressure (C.P.) was developed for insect flight. A dynamically scaled-up robotic hawkmoth wing was used to obtain the translational lift, drag, moment and rotational force coefficients. The translational force coefficients were curve-fitted with respect to the angles of attack such that two coefficients in the Polhamus leading-edge suction analogy model were obtained. The rotational force coefficient was also compared to that derived by the standard Kutta-Joukowski theory. In order to build the accurate pitching moment model, the locations of the C.Ps. and its movements depending on the pitching velocity were investigated in detail. We found that the aerodynamic moment model became suitable when the rotational force component was assumed to act on the half-chord. This implies that the approximation borrowed from the conventional airfoil concept, i.e., the 'C.P. at the quarter-chord' may lead to an incorrect moment prediction. In the validation process, the model showed excellent time-course force and moment estimations in comparison with the robotic wing measurement results. A fully nonlinear multibody flight dynamic simulation was conducted to check the effect of the traveling C.P. on the overall flight dynamics. This clearly showed the importance of an accurate aerodynamic moment model.

Fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces is an area of great interest because it can be applicable to various engineering fields. A simple, safe and inexpensive fabrication process is required to fabricate applicable superhydrophobic surfaces. In this study, we developed a facile fabrication method of nearly perfect superhydrophobic surfaces through plasma treatment with argon and oxygen gases. A polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sheet was selected as a substrate material. We optimized the fabrication parameters to produce superhydrophobic surfaces of superior performance using the Taguchi method. The contact angle of the pristine PTFE surface is approximately 111.0° ± 2.4°, with a sliding angle of 12.3° ± 6.4°. After the plasma treatment, nano-sized spherical tips, which looked like crown-structures, were created. This PTFE sheet exhibits the maximum contact angle of 178.9°, with a sliding angle less than 1°. As a result, this superhydrophobic surface requires a small external force to detach water droplets dripped on the surface. The contact angle of the fabricated superhydrophobic surface is almost retained, even after performing an air-aging test for 80 days and a droplet impacting test for 6 h. This fabrication method can provide superb superhydrophobic surface using simple one-step plasma etching.

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