Drop impact on vibrating wings

Flying objects face a gauntlet of environmental challenges, from wind gusts to raindrop impacts. In this combined experimental and theoretical study, we use high-speed videography to film raindrop impact on flying objects. Flying object's wings are mimicked using millimatric cantilever with tunable surface wettability properties. We investigate how wings with different surface properties respond to falling raindrops, viewing this as a unique system of coupled elasticity and drop dynamics. The impact of drops on vibrating surfaces is a complex phenomenon that can significantly impact the dynamics of mechanical systems. This study reviews the potential effects of drop impacts on vibrating surfaces, including damping, excitation, disruption, and splashing. The outcomes of drop impacts are influenced by various factors, such as the frequency, amplitude, and mode of vibration, the properties of the liquid drop, and the material and geometrical properties of the vibrating surface. We explore highly-coupled fluid–solid mechanics using singular liquid drops of water and a glycerin solution impacting on millimetric, forced wing-inspired cantilevers that are sinusoidally displaced at their base across 85 Hz.