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Locomotion performance of an axisymmetric 'flapping fin'
1Department of Structural Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States of America.
Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
|September 29, 2023
Summary
Inspired by sea salps, a novel jet-propulsion system uses an open tube with changing diameters for locomotion. This biomimetic design achieves significant swimming speeds at low Reynolds numbers.
Area of Science:
- Fluid Dynamics
- Biomimetics
- Robotics
Background:
- Aquatic organisms utilize jet propulsion for efficient locomotion.
- Existing robotic systems often lack biomimetic simplicity and efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and validate a novel axisymmetric jet-propulsion locomotion system inspired by sea salps.
- To investigate the system's performance and underlying hydrodynamic mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations using a fluid-structure interaction model.
- Immersed-boundary framework for simulating fluid-structure interactions.
- Analysis of locomotion at low Reynolds numbers (O(10^2)).
Main Results:
- The proposed system achieves a mean swimming speed of 2-3 body lengths per deformation period.
- Hydrodynamic interactions within the chamber enhance performance, similar to the ground effect.
- Reducing body diameter and increasing trailing edge oscillation amplitude improve speed and efficiency.
Conclusions:
- The axisymmetric jet-propulsion system offers a simple yet effective method for aquatic locomotion.
- Biomimetic design principles can lead to efficient and novel robotic systems.
- Further optimization of diameter oscillations can enhance performance characteristics.
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