Underwater bionic undulating fins incorporating thickness effects: hydrodynamic performance and optimal thickness...

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Fluid Dynamics
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Current bionic undulating fin robots suffer from low efficiency, slow speeds, and neglect thickness parameters.
• Existing propulsion mechanisms require enhanced biomimetic capabilities for improved performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address limitations in bionic undulating fin propulsion by including thickness.
• To investigate the impact of motion parameters on the hydrodynamic performance of thick undulating fins.
• To propose an optimized design strategy for undulating fins.

Main Methods:

• Extended surface element theory to tetrahedral elements using d'Alembert's principle.
• Utilized computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations for analysis.
• Conducted comparative studies on undulating fin performance.

Main Results:

• The study provides valuable insights for engineering applications of bionic fins.
• A design priority order for undulating fins was proposed: width first, then length, then thickness.
• A bionic fin with variable thickness was designed, achieving optimal hydrodynamic performance.

Conclusions:

• Incorporating thickness significantly improves the research of undulating fins.
• The proposed design strategy enhances the biomimetic degree and efficiency of fin robots.
• Optimized variable thickness fins offer superior hydrodynamic performance for robotic propulsion.