Implications of changing synchronization in propulsive performance of side-by-side pitching foils

The unsteady hydrodynamics of side-by-side pitching foils are studied numerically at Reynolds number of 4000 with altering phase differences in the middle of an oscillation cycle. This represents a change in synchronization of oscillating foils, inspired by experimental observations on group swimming of red nose tetra fish. The hybrid oscillation cases are based on an initially out-of-phase pitching that switch to in-phase at the 20th cycle of oscillation. Various sequential combinations of out-of-phase and in-phase pitching are also examined in terms of foil propulsive performance. It is observed that out-of-phase pitching foils initially produce zero total side-force. However, they start producing negative total side-force after 13 oscillation cycles. Contrarily for the in-phase oscillation cases, the initially positive total side-force reverted to zero over time. In hybrid oscillation cases, the negative total side-force produced during the initial out-of-phase oscillations abruptly adjusted to zero following a change of synchronization that led to in-phase oscillations, which is inspired from a particular swimming behavior in fish. Based on three hybrid modes, defined on the onset of mid-cycle switch to in-phase oscillations, it was apparent that the benefit of synchronization, or there lack of, greatly depended on the timing of the change in synchronization. Thus, mid-swimming change of synchronization in side-by-side systems inspired by fish schools compensates for their non-zero total side-force production to maintain their lateral position. Such changes do not translate to significant gains in neither thrust generation nor efficiency.