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Related Concept Videos

Lift01:23

Lift

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Lift is a fundamental aerodynamic force that acts perpendicular to the direction of airflow. It plays a central role in achieving and sustaining flight and in stabilizing various vehicles. Lift primarily originates from pressure differences created across surfaces, such as an airfoil. A lower pressure region forms above the wing, while a higher pressure region forms below it, generating an upward force. This differential results from the shape and orientation of the airfoil, enabling the wing...
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Absolute Motion Analysis- General Plane Motion01:24

Absolute Motion Analysis- General Plane Motion

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Visualize a drone, with its propellers spinning rapidly, hovering mid-air. The fascinating movements and operations of this drone can be comprehended by applying the principle of general plane motion.
As the drone's propellers rotate, an upward force is generated that counteracts the force of gravity, enabling the drone to lift off from the ground. This initial movement of the drone is along a straight path, representing a form of translational motion. In this phase, every point on the...
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Rocket Propulsion in Gravitational Field - II01:03

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A rocket's velocity in the presence of a gravitational field is decreased by the amount of force exerted by Earth's gravitational field, which opposes the motion of the rocket. If we consider thrust, that is, the force exerted on a rocket by the exhaust gases, then a rocket's thrust is greater in outer space than in the atmosphere or on a launch pad. In fact, gases are easier to expel in a vacuum.
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Rocket Propulsion in Gravitational Field - I01:20

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Rockets range in size from small fireworks that ordinary people use to the enormous Saturn V that once propelled massive payloads toward the Moon. The propulsion of all rockets, jet engines, deflating balloons, and even squids and octopuses are explained by the same physical principle: Newton's third law of motion. The matter is forcefully ejected from a system, producing an equal and opposite reaction on what remains.
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Hydrostatic Pressure Force on a Plane Surface01:04

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When a plane surface is submerged in a fluid, hydrostatic forces develop on the surface due to the fluid's pressure. For horizontal surfaces, the pressure exerted by the fluid is uniform because the depth remains constant. The resultant force is determined by the pressure at the given depth multiplied by the area of the surface, and it acts through the centroid of the surface. For vertical surfaces, the pressure varies with depth, increasing as the distance from the fluid's free surface...
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Static and Kinetic Frictional Force01:05

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One of the simpler characteristics of sliding friction is that it is parallel to the contact surfaces between systems, and is always in a direction that opposes the motion or attempted motion of the systems relative to each other. If two systems are in contact and moving relative to one another, then the friction between them is called kinetic friction. For example, kinetic friction slows a hockey puck sliding on ice.
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A Rapid Method for Modeling a Variable Cycle Engine
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Flexible propulsors in ground effect.

Daniel B Quinn1, George V Lauder, Alexander J Smits

  • 1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
|March 27, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Swimming near a solid boundary, or

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Area of Science:

  • Fluid dynamics
  • Biomechanics
  • Hydrodynamics

Background:

  • Many aquatic animals, particularly dorsoventrally compressed fish like batoids and flatfish, swim close to the seabed or other solid boundaries.
  • This 'in ground effect' swimming behavior is common in nature, but its hydrodynamic advantages are not fully understood.
  • Understanding these benefits can inform the design of bio-inspired propulsion systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally investigate the hydrodynamic benefits of swimming in ground effect using flexible propulsors.
  • To quantify changes in thrust, efficiency, and flow dynamics when a flexible panel operates near a solid boundary.
  • To explore the potential applications for aquatic locomotion and bio-inspired robotics.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized flexible rectangular panels actuated at the leading edge in a water channel.
  • Conducted force measurements to quantify propulsive performance.
  • Employed particle image velocimetry (PIV) to visualize flow patterns near the solid boundary.

Main Results:

  • Flexible panels exhibited increased swimming speed near the channel wall without compromising propulsive economy.
  • Thrust generation was enhanced when operating in ground effect, particularly in conditions producing net thrust.
  • Swimming near the ground suppressed three-dimensional flow modes, leading to higher thrust and propulsive efficiency, especially during resonance.

Conclusions:

  • Swimming in ground effect provides significant hydrodynamic benefits, including increased speed, thrust, and efficiency.
  • The presence of a solid boundary stabilizes flow and reduces energy losses.
  • These findings have implications for understanding fish locomotion and developing efficient underwater vehicles.