Undulatory median fin propulsion of two teleosts with different modes of life

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 2116-2119 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Blake
Keyword(s):  
Electric Fish ◽  
Flow Model ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Dorsal Fin ◽  
Gymnarchus Niloticus ◽  
Mode Of Life ◽  
Modes Of Life

A simple fluid flow model, based on momentum considerations, is employed to calculate the hydromechnanical efficiency of the undulatory dorsal fin propeller of the electric fish (Gymnarchus niloticus) and the seahorse (Hippocampus hudsonius). The undulatory fins of G. niloticus and H. hudsonius are representative of two extreme kinematic styles. The dorsal fin of G. niloticus is characterized by waveforms which are propagated at low frequency and a leading edge which "sweeps out" a large area. In contrast, the leading edge of the dorsal fin of H. hudsonius sweeps out a comparatively small area and waveforms pass down the fin at a high frequency. It is shown that the propulsive efficiency of the dorsal fin of G. niloticus can be up to twice that of H. hudsonius at similar swimming speeds. Possible explanations for the evolution of the two kinematic modes are discussed in relation to the mode of life of the animals.

scholarly journals Towards higher aerodynamic efficiency of propeller-driven aircraft with distributed propulsion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Keller
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Substantial Improvement ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Thrust Distribution ◽  
Distributed Propulsion ◽  
Wing Tip ◽  
Cruise Flight

AbstractThe scope of the present paper is to assess the potential of distributed propulsion for a regional aircraft regarding aero-propulsive efficiency. Several sensitivities such as the effect of wingtip propellers, thrust distribution, and shape modifications are investigated based on a configuration with 12 propulsors. Furthermore, an initial assessment of the high-lift performance is undertaken in order to estimate potential wing sizing effects. The performance of the main wing and the propellers are thereby equally considered with the required power being the overall performance indicator. The results indicate that distributed propulsion is not necessarily beneficial regarding the aero-propulsive efficiency in cruise flight. However, the use of wing tip propellers, optimization of the thrust distribution, and wing resizing effects lead to a reduction in required propulsive power by $$-2.9$$ - 2.9 to $$-3.3\,\%$$ - 3.3 % compared to a configuration with two propulsors. Adapting the leading edge to the local flow conditions did not show any substantial improvement in cruise configuration to date.

Sensory coding and corollary discharge effects in mormyrid electric fish

1989 ◽  
Vol 146 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. C. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Electric Fish ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Electric Organ Discharge ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Electric Organ ◽  
Motor Command ◽  
Corollary Discharge ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
Central Projection ◽  
Sensory Coding

Weakly electric fish use their electrosensory systems for electrocommunication, active electrolocation and low-frequency passive electrolocation. In electric fish of the family Mormyridae, these three purposes are mediated by separate classes of electroreceptors: electrocommunication by Knollenorgan electroreceptors, active electrolocation by Mormyromast electroreceptors and low-frequency passive electrolocation by ampullary electroreceptors. The primary afferent fibres from each class of electroreceptors terminate in a separate central region. Thus, the mormyrid electrosensory system has three anatomically and functionally distinct subsystems. This review describes the sensory coding and initial processing in each of the three subsystems, with an emphasis on the Knollenorgan and Mormyromast subsystems. The Knollenorgan subsystem is specialized for the measurement of temporal information but appears to ignore both intensity and spatial information. In contrast, the Mormyromast subsystem is specialized for the measurement of both intensity and spatial information. The morphological and physiological characteristics of the primary afferents and their central projection regions are quite different for the two subsystems and reflect the type of information which the subsystems preserve. This review also describes the electric organ corollary discharge (EOCD) effects which are present in the central projection regions of each of the three electrosensory subsystems. These EOCD effects are driven by the motor command that drives the electric organ to discharge. The EOCD effects are different in each of the three subsystems and these differences reflect differences in both the pattern and significance of the sensory information that is evoked by the fish's own electric organ discharge. Some of the EOCD effects are invariant, whereas others are plastic and depend on previous afferent input. The mormyrid work is placed within two general contexts: (a) the measurement of time and intensity in sensory systems, and (b) the various roles of motor command (efferent) signals and self-induced sensory (reafferent) signals in sensorimotor systems.

scholarly journals Oscillating foils of high propulsive efficiency

1998 ◽  
Vol 360 ◽  
pp. 41-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. ANDERSON ◽  
K. STREITLIEN ◽  
D. S. BARRETT ◽  
M. S. TRIANTAFYLLOU
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Half Cycle ◽  
Trailing Edge ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Principal Characteristics ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Power Measurements ◽  
Oscillating Foils

Thrust-producing harmonically oscillating foils are studied through force and power measurements, as well as visualization data, to classify the principal characteristics of the flow around and in the wake of the foil. Visualization data are obtained using digital particle image velocimetry at Reynolds number 1100, and force and power data are measured at Reynolds number 40 000. The experimental results are compared with theoretical predictions of linear and nonlinear inviscid theory and it is found that agreement between theory and experiment is good over a certain parametric range, when the wake consists of an array of alternating vortices and either very weak or no leading-edge vortices form. High propulsive efficiency, as high as 87%, is measured experimentally under conditions of optimal wake formation. Visualization results elucidate the basic mechanisms involved and show that conditions of high efficiency are associated with the formation on alternating sides of the foil of a moderately strong leading-edge vortex per half-cycle, which is convected downstream and interacts with trailing-edge vorticity, resulting eventually in the formation of a reverse Kármán street. The phase angle between transverse oscillation and angular motion is the critical parameter affecting the interaction of leading-edge and trailing-edge vorticity, as well as the efficiency of propulsion.

scholarly journals Differential Recordings of Local Field Potential:A Genuine Tool to Quantify Functional Connectivity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meyer Gabriel ◽  
Caponcy Julien ◽  
Paul A. Salin ◽  
Comte Jean-Christophe
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Local Field ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Electrophysiological Method ◽  
Local Field Potential Lfp

AbstractLocal field potential (LFP) recording is a very useful electrophysiological method to study brain processes. However, this method is criticized for recording low frequency activity in a large area of extracellular space potentially contaminated by distal activity. Here, we theoretically and experimentally compare ground-referenced (RR) with differential recordings (DR). We analyze electrical activity in the rat cortex with these two methods. Compared with RR, DR reveals the importance of local phasic oscillatory activities and their coherence between cortical areas. Finally, we show that DR provides a more faithful assessment of functional connectivity caused by an increase in the signal to noise ratio, and of the delay in the propagation of information between two cortical structures.

Effect of pectoral fin kinematics on manta ray propulsion

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (12n13) ◽  
pp. 1840025
Author(s):  
Hao Lu ◽  
Khoon Seng Yeo ◽  
Chee-Meng Chew
Keyword(s):  
Leading Edge ◽  
Wave Model ◽  
Pectoral Fin ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Fish Locomotion ◽  
Pectoral Fins ◽  
Flow Features ◽  
Edge Vortex ◽  
Manta Ray

Recent advancement of bio-inspired underwater vehicles has led to a growing interest in understanding the fluid mechanics of fish locomotion, which involves complex interaction between the deforming structure and its surrounding fluid. Unlike most natural swimmers that undulate their body and caudal fin, manta rays employ an oscillatory mode by flapping their large, flattened pectoral fins to swim forward. Such a lift-based mode can achieve a substantially high propulsive efficiency, which is beneficial to long-distance swimming. In this study, numerical simulations are carried out on a realistic manta ray model to investigate the effect of pectoral fin kinematics on the propulsive performance and flow structure. A traveling wave model, which relates a local deflection angle to radial and azimuthal wavelengths, is applied to generate the motion of the pectoral fins. Hydrodynamic forces and propulsive efficiency are reported for systematically varying kinematic parameters such as wave amplitude and wavelengths. Key flow features, including a leading edge vortex (LEV) that forms close to the tip of each pectoral fin, and a wake consisting of interconnected vortex rings, are identified. In addition, how different fin motions alter the LEV behavior and hence affect the thrust and efficiency is illustrated.

scholarly journals Source counts and confusion at 72–231 MHz in the MWA GLEAM survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. O. Franzen ◽  
T. Vernstrom ◽  
C. A. Jackson ◽  
N. Hurley-Walker ◽  
R. D. Ekers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Noise ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Radio Continuum ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Design Study ◽  
Array Design ◽  
Square Kilometre Array ◽  
Noise Limit ◽  
Murchison Widefield Array ◽  
Extended Emission

Abstract The GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array survey is a radio continuum survey at 72–231 MHz of the whole sky south of declination +30º, carried out with the Murchison Widefield Array. In this paper, we derive source counts from the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison data at 200, 154, 118, and 88 MHz, to a flux density limit of 50, 80, 120, and 290 mJy respectively, correcting for ionospheric smearing, incompleteness and source blending. These counts are more accurate than other counts in the literature at similar frequencies as a result of the large area of sky covered and this survey’s sensitivity to extended emission missed by other surveys. At S154 MHz > 0.5 Jy, there is no evidence of flattening in the average spectral index (α ≈ −0.8 where S ∝ vα) towards the lower frequencies. We demonstrate that the Square Kilometre Array Design Study model by Wilman et al. significantly underpredicts the observed 154-MHz GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison counts, particularly at the bright end. Using deeper Low-Frequency Array counts and the Square Kilometre Array Design Study model, we find that sidelobe confusion dominates the thermal noise and classical confusion at v ≳ 100 MHz due to both the limited CLEANing depth and the undeconvolved sources outside the field-of-view. We show that we can approach the theoretical noise limit using a more efficient and automated CLEAN algorithm.

Numerical Analysis of the Multiple-Horseshoe-Vortex Effects on the Endwall Heat Transfer in the Leading-Edge Region of a Symmetric Bluff Body

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Levchenya ◽  
E. M. Smirnov
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Bluff Body ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Correction Term ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Flow Simulation ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Horseshoe Vortex ◽  
The Body ◽  
Present Contribution

The present contribution covers results of a CFD analysis of the 3D flow and endwall heat transfer for a generic junction configuration with a wall-mounted symmetric bluff body experimentally investigated by Praisner and Smith [1, 2]. The computations based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) were performed using two codes of second order accuracy: the in-house code SINF and the commercial package ANSYS-CFX 12.0. For the turbulence closure problem, the Menter SST turbulence model with and without the streamline-curvature correction term was used. The grid sensitivity of solution was studied using a set of grids, the finest of which was of about five million cells. In accordance with the experiments, the computations with both the codes predict development of multiple horseshoe vortices and several bands of high values of the Stanton (St) number upstream of the body leading edge. The spatial relationships between the vorticity in individual planes and the associated endwall Stanton number are generally same in the measurements and in the computations. Some quantitative distinctions between the predictions and experimental data are attributed to the smoothing effect of the low-frequency unsteadiness of the horseshoe vortex system developing in the real flow. Simulation of this effect is outside of RANS-based formulations.

Analysis and assessment of ephemeral gully erosion in wide areas of Navarre (Spain) from routinely obtained ortophotographs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youssef Chahor ◽  
Javier Casalí ◽  
Rafae Giménez
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Sudden Change ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Direct Methods ◽  
Gully Erosion ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Small Watersheds ◽  
Ephemeral Gully ◽  
Ephemeral Gullies

<p>Ephemeral gullies (EG) are linear erosion features located in swales where runoff concentrates during or immediately after rainfall events. EG are temporary because they are easily filled by conventional machinery and cause important soil losses in cultivated areas. Casalí et al. (1999) distinguished three types of EG: “classical”, formed by concentrated runoff flows within the same field where runoff started; “drainage”, created by concentrated flows draining areas upstream from the field; “discontinuity”, found in places where management practices create a sudden change in slope. There is still a great lack of knowledge about the true extent and importance of this EG. In this sense, the information obtained from aerial photographs can be of great value. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the possibility of making an exhaustive characterization of the space-time evolution of ephemeral gullies in a relatively large area from color aerial photographs. The effect of precipitation on the EG will be also analyzed.</p><p>The 570 ha study area is almost completely cultivated with winter cereals and located in the Pitillas district (Navarre). Climate is Continental Mediterranean (on average 550  mm yr<sup>-1</sup>). Soil (upper horizons) are loam–silty loam in texture.</p><p>EG within cultivated fields were located, classified and digitized using GIS interfaces over seven colour orthophotos (1:5000 with 0.5mx0.5m resolution) taken between 2003 and 2014. Gully length was determined after locating EG down and upstream ends. EG drainage areas and slopes were determined using a 2 m resolution DEM.</p><p>To determine EG volumes, an empirical power model for the study area defining the relationship between EG lengths and volumes was first obtained from previous field measurement, and then used for the EG lengths from this study. The corresponding erosion rates were also calculated.</p><p>57 small watersheds affected by EGs were identified, being 39 of them classified as drainage EGs, and the remaining 18 EGs as classic. 70% of the small watersheds were affected by EG only once. In remaining watersheds EG reappeared from twice to seven times. Therefore, it seems that the repeatability is not as high as thought.</p><p>The average erosion rate in classical EG is about 1.1 Kg m<sup>-2</sup> year<sup>-1</sup>. Previous assessments using accurate direct methods reported an average value of 0.8 Kg m<sup>-2</sup> year<sup>-1</sup> for very similar watersheds in the same area. Although it is not a conclusive proof, this findings indicate that both methods provide similar results.</p><p>A very high correlation (r<sup>2</sup>= 0.84) has been found between the length of the gullies formed in the study area and the total annual precipitation. It would follow that EG erosion would also be controlled by the overall amount of rainfall also in Mediterranean climates, and not only by high intensity-low frequency events.</p><p><strong>References</strong></p><ol><li>Casalí, J. J. López, J. V. Giráldez, 1999. Ephemeral gully erosion in Southern Navarra (Spain). CATENA 36: 65-84.</li> </ol>

Numerical Study on Thrust Generation Performance of Plunging Airfoils

2013 ◽  
Vol 312 ◽  
pp. 235-238
Author(s):  
Ji Gao ◽  
Rui Shan Yuan ◽  
Ming Hui Zhang ◽  
Yong Hui Xie
Keyword(s):  
Viscous Flow ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Angle Of Attack ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Thrust Coefficient ◽  
Propulsive Efficiency ◽  
Propulsion Performance ◽  
Incompressible Viscous Flow ◽  
Thrust Generation ◽  
The Difference

In this paper, the effects of angle of attack, camber and camber location on propulsion performance of flapping airfoils undergoing plunging motion were numerically studied at Re=20000 and h=0.175. The unsteady incompressible viscous flow around four different airfoil sections was simulated applying the dynamic mesh. The results show that the time averaged thrust coefficient CTmean and propulsive efficiency η of the symmetric airfoil decrease with the increasing angle of attack, and the variation of CTmean is more obvious than that of CPmean. Both CTmean and η for NACA airfoils studied in this paper decrease with the increasing camber and the difference between the propulsion performances of different airfoils is not obvious, and the thrust generation and power of various NACA airfoils gradually increase during the downstroke and decrease during the upstroke. Under the same conditions, the airfoil with a further distance between the maximum camber location and the chord of the leading edge leads to higher propulsive efficiency.

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