scholarly journals Optimal shape and motion of undulatory swimming organisms

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1740) ◽  
pp. 3065-3074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grgur Tokić ◽  
Dick K. P. Yue

Undulatory swimming animals exhibit diverse ranges of body shapes and motion patterns and are often considered as having superior locomotory performance. The extent to which morphological traits of swimming animals have evolved owing to primarily locomotion considerations is, however, not clear. To shed some light on that question, we present here the optimal shape and motion of undulatory swimming organisms obtained by optimizing locomotive performance measures within the framework of a combined hydrodynamical, structural and novel muscular model. We develop a muscular model for periodic muscle contraction which provides relevant kinematic and energetic quantities required to describe swimming. Using an evolutionary algorithm, we performed a multi-objective optimization for achieving maximum sustained swimming speed U and minimum cost of transport (COT)—two conflicting locomotive performance measures that have been conjectured as likely to increase fitness for survival. Starting from an initial population of random characteristics, our results show that, for a range of size scales, fish-like body shapes and motion indeed emerge when U and COT are optimized. Inherent boundary-layer-dependent allometric scaling between body mass and kinematic and energetic quantities of the optimal populations is observed. The trade-off between U and COT affects the geometry, kinematics and energetics of swimming organisms. Our results are corroborated by empirical data from swimming animals over nine orders of magnitude in size, supporting the notion that optimizing U and COT could be the driving force of evolution in many species.

2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (12) ◽  
pp. 1915-1923 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.L. Stelle ◽  
R.W. Blake ◽  
A.W. Trites

Drag forces acting on Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) were investigated from ‘deceleration during glide’ measurements. A total of 66 glides from six juvenile sea lions yielded a mean drag coefficient (referenced to total wetted surface area) of 0.0056 at a mean Reynolds number of 5.5×10(6). The drag values indicate that the boundary layer is largely turbulent for Steller sea lions swimming at these Reynolds numbers, which are past the point of expected transition from laminar to turbulent flow. The position of maximum thickness (at 34 % of the body length measured from the tip of the nose) was more anterior than for a ‘laminar’ profile, supporting the idea that there is little laminar flow. The Steller sea lions in our study were characterized by a mean fineness ratio of 5.55. Their streamlined shape helps to delay flow separation, reducing total drag. In addition, turbulent boundary layers are more stable than laminar ones. Thus, separation should occur further back on the animal. Steller sea lions are the largest of the otariids and swam faster than the smaller California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). The mean glide velocity of the individual Steller sea lions ranged from 2.9 to 3.4 m s(−)(1) or 1.2-1.5 body lengths s(−)(1). These length-specific speeds are close to the optimum swim velocity of 1.4 body lengths s(−)(1) based on the minimum cost of transport for California sea lions.


1996 ◽  
Vol 199 (3) ◽  
pp. 587-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Farley ◽  
M Emshwiller

Nocturnal geckos can walk on level ground more economically than diurnal lizards. One hypothesis for why nocturnal geckos have a low cost of locomotion is that they can perform mechanical work during locomotion more efficiently than other lizards. To test this hypothesis, we compared the efficiency of the nocturnal gecko Coleonyx variegatus (average body mass 4.2 g) and the diurnal skink Eumeces skiltonianus (average body mass 4.8 g) when they performed vertical work during uphill locomotion. We measured the rate of oxygen consumption when each species walked on the level and up a 50 slope over a range of speeds. For Coleonyx variegatus, the energetic cost of traveling a unit distance (the minimum cost of transport, Cmin) increased from 1.5 to 2.7 ml O2 kg-1 m-1 between level and uphill locomotion. For Eumeces skiltonianus, Cmin increased from 2.5 to 4.7 ml O2 kg-1 m-1 between level and uphill locomotion. By taking the difference between Cmin for level and uphill locomotion, we found that the efficiency of performing vertical work during locomotion was 37 % for Coleonyx variegatus and 19 % for Eumeces skiltonianus. The similarity between the 1.9-fold difference in vertical efficiency and the 1.7-fold difference in the cost of transport on level ground is consistent with the hypothesis that nocturnal geckos have a lower cost of locomotion than other lizards because they can perform mechanical work during locomotion more efficiently.


1997 ◽  
Vol 200 (7) ◽  
pp. 1145-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Donovan ◽  
T Carefoot

Morphological analyses of pedal sole area and pedal waves were conducted for a range of speeds and body sizes in the abalone Haliotis kamtschatkana. The pedal sole of resting abalone increased in size disproportionately with animal volume (slope of log10-transformed data, b=0.83; expected slope for isometry, b0=0.67) and length (b=2.51; b0=2.0). Pedal wave frequency increased linearly with speed, confirming that abalone increase speed by increasing the velocity of pedal waves. Total area of the pedal sole decreased by 2.1 % for each shell length per minute increase in speed. Likewise, the area of the foot incorporated into pedal waves increased by 1.8 % for each shell length per minute increase in speed. Together, these changes translated into a 50 % decrease in the pedal sole area in contact with the substratum at a maximum escape speed of 15 shell lengths min-1, relative to the pedal sole at rest. The amount of mucus secreted by resting animals during adhesion to the substratum increased isometrically with foot area (slope of log10-transformed data, b=1.08). The amount of mucus secreted during locomotion did not vary with speed, but was less than the amount needed for adhesion. We suggest that these morphological and physiological changes reduce the energy expenditure during locomotion. Cost of transport was investigated for a range of speeds and abalone sizes. The rate of oxygen consumption O2 (in µl O2 g-1 h-1) increased linearly with increasing absolute speed v (in cm min-1): O2=40.1+0.58v-0.15m (r2=0.35, P=0.04), where m is body mass (in g). Minimum cost of transport, calculated from the slope of absolute speed on O2, was 20.3 J kg-1 m-1. Total cost of transport (COTT) and net cost of transport (COTN) were high at low speeds and decreased as speed increased, to minima of 86.0 J kg-1 m-1 and 29.7 J kg-1 m-1, respectively, at speeds measured in the respirometer. Log10-transformation of both cost of transport and speed data yielded linear relationships with the following regression equations: log10COTT=3.35-0.90log10v-0.21log10m (r2=0.89; P<0.006) and log10COTN=2.29-0.69log10v-0.09log10m (r2=0.48; P<0.006), respectively.


Author(s):  
Veena Goswami ◽  
G. B. Mund

This paper analyzes a discrete-time infinite-buffer Geo/Geo/2 queue, in which the number of servers can be adjusted depending on the number of customers in the system one at a time at arrival or at service completion epoch. Analytical closed-form solutions of the infinite-buffer Geo/Geo/2 queueing system operating under the triadic (0, Q N, M) policy are derived. The total expected cost function is developed to obtain the optimal operating (0, Q N, M) policy and the optimal service rate at minimum cost using direct search method. Some performance measures and sensitivity analysis have been presented.


2012 ◽  
Vol 215 (9) ◽  
pp. 1509-1514 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. A. Langman ◽  
M. F. Rowe ◽  
T. J. Roberts ◽  
N. V. Langman ◽  
C. R. Taylor

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boye K. Ahlborn ◽  
Robert W. Blake ◽  
Keith H.S. Chan

The optimum fineness ratio (X = L/d, where L and d are body length and profile height, respectively) for minimum drag is about 4.5 and many fast swimming fish are characterized by values of this order. However, values for large whales that undergo extensive migrations (e.g., Balaenopteridae, Balaenidae, and Physeteridae) are as high as 8. A plot of fineness ratio versus mass (M) for different species of large whales shows that the optimal fineness ratio for minimum drag and therefore the minimum cost of transport increases slowly with increasing mass (X = 4M0.06). Optimal fineness ratio was determined from a simple hydromechanical model based on the sum of friction and pressure drag on an equivalent cylindrical body, which indicate a small positive dependence (0.11) of optimal fineness ratio for minimum drag with increasing body mass, suggesting an adaptation for reducing the energy cost of swimming.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Omer Kurtanović ◽  
Haris Dacić ◽  
Admir Kurtanović

This paper extends the general problem of minimizing the total cost of transport on the road network (CNF) by considering the total time, maximum time and total amount of cargo with the longest time. In the literature available to us, models with timing and amount of cargo in the case of a standard transport task were exposed. Optimization is possible by combining 5 criteria, 2 linear and 3 nonlinear ones over the same set of linear constraints. Multicriteria optimization determines Pareto-optimal solutions. Interactive analyst-software algorithms for solving the selected models were defined. The solution of hypothetical problems was illustrated. Closed model with 5 two-way asymmetric communications using software for CNF and it is possible to use software for LP. Four one-criteria problems were solved: total costs, overall transport performance from a time standpoint, transport time (problem of the second type by time) total transport time (problem of the third type by time) and one bi-criteria problem related to the simultaneous minimization of the maximum duration of transport and total costs.


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