Biomimetic Study of Hydrodynamic Analysis of Flapping Fish

Abstract

The need to depend on ocean is increasing day by day and hence to cope with the demand one must be advance in the field of bio-mimics to fully understand its ideology. The world of Bio-Mimics has deeper roots in the robotic field hence the development and innovation of unmanned underwater vehicles diversely adopts the benefits of locomotion and maneuverability over conventional designs. The purpose of our research is to study hydrodynamics of flapping tuna fish at different flow regime’s & 2-D wake vortices analysis is performed of flapping Tuna fish placed in various real life configurations inside water tunnel, to better understand their hydrodynamic performance, reverse Von Karman vortices generation and shedding and their effect on desired configuration, followed by the two 3D printed Tuna fish mold filled with flexible silicone to ensure the flexibility and fatigue resilience, with individual variable frequency control flapping mechanism. The designed mechanical flapping fish undergo flow visualization with PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) setup. Experiment is carried out in flowing water of (0.055-0.1) m/s with Tail flapping amplitude of 400 degrees. The objective is to study the hydrodynamic efficiency of single fish & two fish in side-by-side configuration to better understand the fluid dynamics associated with it & to apply that concept in future to create efficient propulsion system. Hydrodynamic efficiency for single fish case is found to be 58% while in side-by-side configuration it’s 54% for synchronous mode of locomotion while for asynchronous it is 31%. The mission of bio-mimics is to create a world of engineering design inspired from the nature itself due to its various benefits over conventional human designs. Thus, by taking another step closer to eco-friendly propulsion system & waste reduction.