Multi-body simulation of a flying pterosaur

Kurzfassung

Pterosaurs were flying reptiles that had seized the sky for 160 million years before becoming extinct 65 million years ago. Paleontologists have studied pterosaurs for over 200 years, yet many open questions remain, especially concerning their posture and locomotion, their way of living and ability to fly. This article describes a topic of an interdisciplinary research project to attain extensive knowledge of the pterosaurian flight apparatus with regard to paleontological and flight engineering aspects. The project is a co-operation between the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe (SMNK) and the Institute of Aeroelasticity of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Göttingen. It examines the gliding flight abilities of Rhamphorynchus, a long-tailed pterosaur with the use of the multibody simulation software SIMPACK.