HOW THE BODY CONTRIBUTES TO THE WAKE IN UNDULATORY FISH SWIMMING

2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (16) ◽  
pp. 2751-2762 ◽  
Author(s):  
ULRIKE K. MÜLLER ◽  
JORIS SMIT ◽  
EIZE J. STAMHUIS ◽  
JOHN J. VIDELER

SUMMARY Undulatory swimmers generate thrust by passing a transverse wave down their body. Thrust is generated not just at the tail, but also to a varying degree by the body, depending on the fish's morphology and swimming movements. To examine the mechanisms by which the body in particular contributes to thrust production, we chose eels, which have no pronounced tail fin and hence are thought to generate all their thrust with their body. We investigated the interaction between body movements and the flow around swimming eels using two-dimensional particle image velocimetry. Maximum flow velocities adjacent to the eel's body increase almost linearly from head to tail, suggesting that eels generate thrust continuously along their body. The wake behind eels swimming at 1.5Ls-1, where L is body length,consisted of a double row of double vortices with little backward momentum. The eel sheds two vortices per half tail-beat, which can be identified by their shedding dynamics as a start—stop vortex of the tail and a vortex shed when the body-generated flows reach the `trailing edge' and cause separation. Two consecutively shed ipsilateral body and tail vortices combine to form a vortex pair that moves away from the mean path of motion. This wake shape resembles flow patterns described previously for a propulsive mode in which neither swimming efficiency nor thrust is maximised but sideways forces are high. This swimming mode is suited to high manoeuvrability. Earlier recordings show that eels also generate a wake reflective of maximum swimming efficiency. The combined findings suggest that eels can modify their body wave to generate wakes that reflect their propulsive mode.

1997 ◽  
Vol 200 (22) ◽  
pp. 2893-2906 ◽  
Author(s):  
U K Müller ◽  
B L E van den Heuvel ◽  
E J Stamhuis ◽  
J J Videler

The structure of the wake behind a continuously swimming mullet was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively by applying two-dimensional particle image velocimetry. A detailed analysis of the flow pattern and of the swimming movements of the fish allowed us to derive a kinematic explanation of the flow pattern as well as an estimate of the relative contributions of the body and the tail to thrust production. During active propulsion, the undulatory swimming fish shed a wake consisting in the medio-frontal plane of a rearward, zigzagging jet flow between alternating vortices. The fish shed one vortex per half tailbeat when the tail reached its most lateral position. Part of the circulation shed in the vortices had been generated previously on the body by the transverse body wave travelling down the body. This undulatory pump mechanism accounted for less than half of the energy shed in the wake. The remainder was generated by the tail. The vortex spacing matched the tailbeat amplitude and the stride length.


Author(s):  
Jialei Song ◽  
Yong Zhong ◽  
Ruxu Du ◽  
Ling Yin ◽  
Yang Ding

In this paper, we investigate the hydrodynamics of swimmers with three caudal fins: a round one corresponding to snakehead fish ( Channidae), an indented one corresponding to saithe ( Pollachius virens), and a lunate one corresponding to tuna ( Thunnus thynnus). A direct numerical simulation (DNS) approach with a self-propelled fish model was adopted. The simulation results show that the caudal fin transitions from a pushing/suction combined propulsive mechanism to a suction-dominated propulsive mechanism with increasing aspect ratio ( AR). Interestingly, different from a previous finding that suction-based propulsion leads to high efficiency in animal swimming, this study shows that the utilization of suction-based propulsion by a high- AR caudal fin reduces swimming efficiency. Therefore, the suction-based propulsive mechanism does not necessarily lead to high efficiency, while other factors might play a role. Further analysis shows that the large lateral momentum transferred to the flow due to the high depth of the high- AR caudal fin leads to the lowest efficiency despite the most significant suction.


2015 ◽  
Vol 767 ◽  
pp. 430-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel B. Quinn ◽  
George V. Lauder ◽  
Alexander J. Smits

AbstractExperimental gradient-based optimization is used to maximize the propulsive efficiency of a heaving and pitching flexible panel. Optimum and near-optimum conditions are studied via direct force measurements and particle image velocimetry (PIV). The net thrust and power scale predictably with the frequency and amplitude of the leading edge, but the efficiency shows a complex multimodal response. Optimum pitch and heave motions are found to produce nearly twice the efficiencies of optimum heave-only motions. Efficiency is globally optimized when (i) the Strouhal number is within an optimal range that varies weakly with amplitude and boundary conditions; (ii) the panel is actuated at a resonant frequency of the fluid–panel system; (iii) heave amplitude is tuned such that trailing-edge amplitude is maximized while the flow along the body remains attached; and (iv) the maximum pitch angle and phase lag are chosen so that the effective angle of attack is minimized. The multi-dimensionality and multi-modality of the efficiency response demonstrate that experimental optimization is well-suited for the design of flexible underwater propulsors.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (116) ◽  
pp. 20160068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gen Li ◽  
Ulrike K. Müller ◽  
Johan L. van Leeuwen ◽  
Hao Liu

Larvae of bony fish swim in the intermediate Reynolds number ( Re ) regime, using body- and caudal-fin undulation to propel themselves. They share a median fin fold that transforms into separate median fins as they grow into juveniles. The fin fold was suggested to be an adaption for locomotion in the intermediate Reynolds regime, but its fluid-dynamic role is still enigmatic. Using three-dimensional fluid-dynamic computations, we quantified the swimming trajectory from body-shape changes during cyclic swimming of larval fish. We predicted unsteady vortices around the upper and lower edges of the fin fold, and identified similar vortices around real larvae with particle image velocimetry. We show that thrust contributions on the body peak adjacent to the upper and lower edges of the fin fold where large left–right pressure differences occur in concert with the periodical generation and shedding of edge vortices. The fin fold enhances effective flow separation and drag-based thrust. Along the body, net thrust is generated in multiple zones posterior to the centre of mass. Counterfactual simulations exploring the effect of having a fin fold across a range of Reynolds numbers show that the fin fold helps larvae achieve high swimming speeds, yet requires high power. We conclude that propulsion in larval fish partly relies on unsteady high-intensity vortices along the upper and lower edges of the fin fold, providing a functional explanation for the omnipresence of the fin fold in bony-fish larvae.


1999 ◽  
Vol 202 (16) ◽  
pp. 2127-2138 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Knower ◽  
R.E. Shadwick ◽  
S.L. Katz ◽  
J.B. Graham ◽  
C.S. Wardle

To learn about muscle function in two species of tuna (yellowfin Thunnus albacares and skipjack Katsuwonus pelamis), a series of electromyogram (EMG) electrodes was implanted down the length of the body in the internal red (aerobic) muscle. Additionally, a buckle force transducer was fitted around the deep caudal tendons on the same side of the peduncle as the electrodes. Recordings of muscle activity and caudal tendon forces were made while the fish swam over a range of steady, sustainable cruising speeds in a large water tunnel treadmill. In both species, the onset of red muscle activation proceeds sequentially in a rostro-caudal direction, while the offset (or deactivation) is nearly simultaneous at all sites, so that EMG burst duration decreases towards the tail. Muscle duty cycle at each location remains a constant proportion of the tailbeat period (T), independent of swimming speed, and peak force is registered in the tail tendons just as all ipsilateral muscle deactivates. Mean duty cycles in skipjack are longer than those in yellowfin. In yellowfin red muscle, there is complete segregation of contralateral activity, while in skipjack there is slight overlap. In both species, all internal red muscle on one side is active simultaneously for part of each cycle, lasting 0.18T in yellowfin and 0.11T in skipjack. (Across the distance encompassing the majority of the red muscle mass, 0.35-0.65L, where L is fork length, the duration is 0.25T in both species.) When red muscle activation patterns were compared across a variety of fish species, it became apparent that the EMG patterns grade in a progression that parallels the kinematic spectrum of swimming modes from anguilliform to thunniform. The tuna EMG pattern, underlying the thunniform swimming mode, culminates this progression, exhibiting an activation pattern at the extreme opposite end of the spectrum from the anguilliform mode.


1971 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 1369-1379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nezihi Canitez ◽  
M. Nafi Toksöz

abstract The determination of focal depth and other source parameters by the use of first-motion data and surface-wave spectra is investigated. It is shown that the spectral ratio of Love to Rayleigh waves (L/R) is sensitive to all source parameters. The azimuthal variation of the L/R spectral ratios can be used to check the fault-plane solution as well as for focal depth determinations. Medium response, attenuation, and source finiteness seriously affect the absolute spectra and introduce uncertainty into the focal depth determinations. These effects are nearly canceled out when L/R amplitude ratios are used. Thus, the preferred procedure for source mechanism studies of shallow earthquakes is to use jointly the body-wave data, absolute spectra of surface waves, and the Love/Rayleigh spectral ratios. With this procedure, focal depths can be determined to an accuracy of a few kilometers.


1980 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 419-436
Author(s):  
John Boatwright

abstract Employing a new technique for the body-wave analysis of shallow-focus earthquakes, we have made a preliminary analysis of the St. Elias, Alaska earthquake of February 28, 1979, using five long-period P and S waves recorded at three WWSSN stations and at Palisades, New York. Using a well determined focal mechanism and an average source depth of ≈ 11 km, the interference of the depth phases (i.e., pP and sP, or sS) has been deconvolved from the recorded pulse shapes to obtain velocity and displacement pulse shapes as they would appear if the earthquake had occurred within an infinite medium. These “approximate whole space” pulse shapes indicate that the rupture contained three distinct subevents as well as a small initial event which preceded this subevent sequence by about 7 sec. From the pulse rise times of the subevents, their rupture lengths are estimated as 12, 27, and 17 km, assuming that the subevent rupture velocity was 3 km/sec. Overall, the earthquake ruptured ≈ 60 km to the southeast with an average rupture velocity of 2.2 km/sec. The cumulative body-wave moment for the whole event, 1.2 × 1027 dyne-cm, is substantially smaller than the surface-wave moments reported by Lahr et al. (1979) of 5 × 1027 dyne-cm. The moments of the subevents are estimated to be 0.6, 3.2, and 7.5 × 1026 dyne-cm, respectively.


2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petter Ekman ◽  
James Venning ◽  
Torbjörn Virdung ◽  
Matts Karlsson

Abstract The Ahmed body is one of the most well-investigated vehicle bodies for aerodynamic purposes. Despite its simple geometry, the flow around the body, especially at the rear, is very complex as it is dominated by a large wake with strong interaction between vortical structures. In this study, the flow around the 25 deg Ahmed body has been investigated using large eddy simulations and compared to high-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. Special emphasis was put on studying three commonly used sub-grid scale (SGS) models and their ability to capture vortical structures around the Ahmed body. The ability of the SGS models to capture the near-wall behavior and small-scale dissipation is crucial for capturing the correct flow field. Very good agreement between simulations and PIV measurements were seen when using the dynamic Smagorinsky-Lilly and the wall-adopting local eddy-viscosity SGS models, respectively. However, the standard Smagorinsky-Lilly model was not able to capture the flow patterns when compared to the PIV measurements due to shortcomings in the near-wall modeling in the standard Smagorinsky-Lilly model, resulting in overpredicted separation.


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