Horizontal flight of a swallow (Hirundo rustica) observed in a wind tunnel, with a new method for directly measuring mechanical power
(2000) In Journal of Experimental Biology 203(11). p.1755-1765- Abstract
- A swallow flying in the Lund wind tunnel was observed from the side and from behind, by two synchronised highspeed video cameras. The side-view camera provided a record of the vertical position of a white mark, applied to the feathers behind and below the eye, from which the vertical acceleration was obtained. The rear-view camera provided measurements of the mean angle of the left and right humeri above horizontal. From these data, the force acting on the body, the moment applied by each pectoralis muscle to the humerus and the rotation of the humerus were estimated and used to analyse the time course of a number of variables, including the work done by the muscles in each wing beat. The average mechanical power turned out to be more than... (More)
- A swallow flying in the Lund wind tunnel was observed from the side and from behind, by two synchronised highspeed video cameras. The side-view camera provided a record of the vertical position of a white mark, applied to the feathers behind and below the eye, from which the vertical acceleration was obtained. The rear-view camera provided measurements of the mean angle of the left and right humeri above horizontal. From these data, the force acting on the body, the moment applied by each pectoralis muscle to the humerus and the rotation of the humerus were estimated and used to analyse the time course of a number of variables, including the work done by the muscles in each wing beat. The average mechanical power turned out to be more than that predicted on the basis of current estimates of body drag coefficient and profile power ratio, possibly because the bird was not flying steadily in a minimum-drag configuration, We hope to develop the method further by correlating the mechanical measurements with observations of the vortex wake and to apply it to birds that have been conditioned to hold a constant position in the test section. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/149219
- author
- Pennycuick, C J ; Hedenström, Anders LU and Rosén, Mikael LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2000
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Journal of Experimental Biology
- volume
- 203
- issue
- 11
- pages
- 1755 - 1765
- publisher
- The Company of Biologists Ltd
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:0034083551
- ISSN
- 1477-9145
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 2e590bb6-f808-4530-9347-c1d431b8e94c (old id 149219)
- alternative location
- http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/203/11/1755
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 12:03:57
- date last changed
- 2022-02-03 17:06:13
@article{2e590bb6-f808-4530-9347-c1d431b8e94c,
abstract = {{A swallow flying in the Lund wind tunnel was observed from the side and from behind, by two synchronised highspeed video cameras. The side-view camera provided a record of the vertical position of a white mark, applied to the feathers behind and below the eye, from which the vertical acceleration was obtained. The rear-view camera provided measurements of the mean angle of the left and right humeri above horizontal. From these data, the force acting on the body, the moment applied by each pectoralis muscle to the humerus and the rotation of the humerus were estimated and used to analyse the time course of a number of variables, including the work done by the muscles in each wing beat. The average mechanical power turned out to be more than that predicted on the basis of current estimates of body drag coefficient and profile power ratio, possibly because the bird was not flying steadily in a minimum-drag configuration, We hope to develop the method further by correlating the mechanical measurements with observations of the vortex wake and to apply it to birds that have been conditioned to hold a constant position in the test section.}},
author = {{Pennycuick, C J and Hedenström, Anders and Rosén, Mikael}},
issn = {{1477-9145}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{11}},
pages = {{1755--1765}},
publisher = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
series = {{Journal of Experimental Biology}},
title = {{Horizontal flight of a swallow (Hirundo rustica) observed in a wind tunnel, with a new method for directly measuring mechanical power}},
url = {{http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/203/11/1755}},
volume = {{203}},
year = {{2000}},
}