The Swimming of Nymphon Gracile (Pycnogonida): The Vertical Lift Forces Generated while Swimming at Constant Depth

1977 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-203
Author(s):  
ELFED MORGAN ◽  
STEPHEN V. HAYES

1. The vertical lift forces generated by the legs of Nymphon while swimming at constant depth have been estimated graphically using drag constants determined by a sedimentation method. Drag both normal and tangential to the different segments of the leg has been considered. 2. When holding station Nymphon characteristically employs a low elevation beat in which the upward force produced during the power stroke of each leg only just exceeds the predominantly downward force generated during the recovery. An upward lift component is also produced late during the recovery stroke. 3. The legs beat in a vertical plane and an investigation of the moments at the joints of the leg suggests that much of the power stroke is gravity assisted. 4. The upward lift produced by all eight legs agreed fairly well on average with the sinking force due to the animal's weight in water, and the vertical lift fluctuates rhythmically throughout the leg beat cycle. The relationship between the swimming gait and the amplitude of these fluctuations has been investigated. During the gait most frequently used by the animal fluctuations in vertical lift were found to be minimal.

1971 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 273-287
Author(s):  
ELFED MORGAN

1. The organization of the swimming legs of N. gracile has been described. The legs beat ventrally so the animal swims with the dorsal side foremost. The joints between the major segments of the leg are extended for most of the power stroke, but the distal segments articulate sequentially later in the beat, commencing with the flexion of the femoro-tibial joint at the end of the power stroke. Continued flexion reduces the leg radius considerably during the recovery stroke. 2. Animals swimming at constant depth were found to have a leg-beat frequency of about 1 beat/s. Above this the rate of ascent increased rapidly with increasing frequency of beat. Abduction or adduction of the leg usually occurred prior to the start of the power stroke with the femur in the elevated position. 3. Assuming a fixed limb profile at constant angular velocity, maximum lift was calculated to have occurred with the femur inclined at an angle of about 50° to the dorso-ventral body axis. The outward component of the lateral thrust decreased to zero at this point, and with further declination of the femur the lateral forces became inwardly directed. Of the different segments of the leg, tibia 2 and the tarsus and propodium contribute most of the hydrodynamic force. 4. The angular velocity of the leg varied during the power stroke, and the actual forces generated during two beats having the same amplitude and angular velocity but of high and low elevation were calculated. Greater lift occurred during the high-elevation beat when the leg continued to provide lift throughout the power stroke, whereas the low-elevation beat acquired negative lift values towards the end of the power stroke. The lateral thrust was now directed entirely inwards.


Robotica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 699-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Van Anh Pham ◽  
Tan Tien Nguyen ◽  
Byung Ryong Lee ◽  
Tuong Quan Vo

SUMMARYBiological fish can create high forward swimming speed due to change of thrust/drag area of pectoral fins between power stroke and recovery stroke in rowing mode. In this paper, we proposed a novel type of folding pectoral fins for the fish robot, which provides a simple approach in generating effective thrust only through one degree of freedom of fin actuator. Its structure consists of two elemental fin panels for each pectoral fin that connects to a hinge base through the flexible joints. The Morison force model is adopted to discover the relationship of the dynamic interaction between fin panels and surrounding fluid. An experimental platform for the robot motion using the pectoral fin with different flexible joints was built to validate the proposed design. The results express that the performance of swimming velocity and turning radius of the robot are enhanced effectively. The forward swimming velocity can reach 0.231 m/s (0.58 BL/s) at the frequency near 0.75 Hz. By comparison, we found an accord between the proposed dynamic model and the experimental behavior of the robot. The attained results can be used to design controllers and optimize performances of the robot propelled by the folding pectoral fins.


Author(s):  
Sanaz Bazaz Behbahani ◽  
Xiaobo Tan

In this paper, we propose a novel design for a pectoral fin joint of a robotic fish. This joint uses a flexible part to enable the rowing pectoral fin to feather passively and thus reduce the hydrodynamic drag in the recovery stroke. On the other hand, a mechanical stopper allows the fin to maintain its motion prescribed by the servomotor in the power stroke. The design results in net thrust even when the fin is actuated symmetrically for the power and recovery strokes. A dynamic model for this joint and for a pectoral fin-actuated robotic fish involving such joints is presented. The pectoral fin is modeled as a rigid plate connected to the servo arm through a pair of torsional spring and damper that describes the flexible joint. The hydrodynamic force on the fin is evaluated with blade element theory, where all three components of the force are considered due to the feathering degree of freedom of the fin. Experimental results on robotic fish prototype are provided to support the effectiveness of the design and the presented dynamic model. We utilize three different joints (with different sizes and different flexible materials), produced with a multi-material 3D printer, and measure the feathering angles of the joints and the forward swimming velocities of the robotic fish. Good match between the model predictions and experimental data is achieved, and the advantage of the proposed flexible joint over a rigid joint, where the power and recovery strokes have to be actuated at different speeds to produce thrust, is demonstrated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 11153
Author(s):  
Chun-Hsi Liu ◽  
Chun-Yu Hsiao ◽  
Jyh-Cherng Gu ◽  
Kuan-Yi Liu ◽  
Chih-Hung Chang ◽  
...  

The paper aims to explore the relationship between the vertical plane luminance on projection screens and human visual clarity in the classroom or meeting room. While controlling the lighting environment conditions of the classroom to create different luminous distributions and luminance on the projection screen, a survey is conducted to understand students’ visual experience about screen clarity during the field experiment. The luminance of each picture on the projection screen is measured under the specified lighting conditions of luminaires in the classroom, and the relationship is formulated between the average luminance on the projection screen and the visual satisfaction based on clarity of experience. This will be useful for further studying the acceptable threshold of luminance distribution in the classroom to provide a better visual clarity and lighting quality of projection screens while teaching. In this study, the measurement and performance evaluation on a projection screen were carried out at a classroom in the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST). By using an image luminance meter and analyzing the research results, we propose an improvement strategy for asymmetric luminous distribution design of LED light tube and light switch control mechanism of luminaires to resolve the inadequate luminance of the vertical projection screen area to improve the lighting quality and visual clarity of the projection screen while teaching with the least cost.


1981 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 305-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. WARD ◽  
W. F. HUMPHREYS

Locomotion in the vagrant wolf spider Trochosa ruricola is compared to that in the burrow dwelling wolf spider Lycosa tarentula (Araneae: Lycosidae). L. tarentula takes relatively shorter steps than T. ruricola. At high speeds T. ruricola approximates an alternating tetrapod gait but this does not occur in L. tarentula. Phase lag differs between species and varies marginally with speed except for ipsilateral phase lags in L. tarentula which are erratic if they include leg 1. In both species the protraction/retraction ratio is directly related to both running speed and stepping frequency, but the relationship is more marked in L. tarentula. The protraction/retraction ratio is more variable in leg 1 and varies between legs along the body but by a greater amount in L. tarentula. In these spiders, in contrast to the situation in many insects, both the duration of protraction and retraction show marked inverse relationships to stepping frequency. The power stroke (retraction) occupies a variable proportion of the stepping cycle, which is not the case in other spiders, and this proportion is lower than for other spiders. It is suggested that the first pair of legs is used more for sensory than for locomotory purpose and that this is more marked in the burrow dwelling species, L. tarentula.


1979 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 245-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. WEBB

Measurements of acceleration performance of crayfish (mean mass 0.018 kg) were made during lateral giant mediated tail flips (LG tail flips) and truncated tail flips at 15°C. The LG tail flip power stroke was composed of a lift-off phase, when crayfish accelerated vertically from the substrate, and a free swimming phase. The total duration of the power stroke was 44 ms, followed by a recovery stroke lasting 173 ms. Truncated tail flips were used in acceleration and swimming by crayfish free of the substrate. Power strokes had a mean duration of 36 ms, and recovery strokes 92 ms. Net velocities, acceleration rates, and distances travelled by the centre of mass were similar for both types of tail flips. Thrust was generated almost entirely by the uropods and telson. Velocities and angles of orientation to the horizontal of abdominal segments were similar for both types of tail flip. Angles of attack were large, varying from 30° to 90°. Pressure (drag) forces were considered negligible compared to inertial forces associated with the acceleration of added water mass. Thrust forces, energy and power were determined for exemplary tail flips. Thrust was 0.92 and 0.42 N for LG tail flip lift-off and swimming phases respectively, and 0.29 N for the swimming truncated tail flip. Rates of working were 0.39, 0.19, and 0.18 W respectively. The efficiency of converting muscle power to backward motion was estimated to be 0.5 for power strokes and 0.68 for complete swimming cycles. Comparisons with fish performance suggested fish would be less efficient (0.1-0.2). The low efficiency is attributed to energy lost in lateral recoil movements.


2000 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 502-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gian Paolo Ussia ◽  
Tarek S. Momenah ◽  
Phillip Ursell ◽  
Mike M. Brook ◽  
Philip Moore ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesFirst, to examine the morphology of heart specimens with defects of the oval fossa so as to define the factors that facilitate appropriate selection of the size of devices used for inteventional closure. Second, to examine the relationship between morphology and transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography.BackgroundThe success of transcatheter closure is influenced by the variable morphology of deficiencies with the oval fossa, and of the relationship of the fossa itself to adjacent structures. More appropriate selection could reduce the incidence of failures.MethodsFrom over 100 specimens in the cardiac registry at the University of California, San Francisco, we judged 16 hearts with atrial septal defects within the oval fossa, either in isolation or associated with other cardiac malformation, to be suitable for this study. We measured the dimensions of the defect and the surrounding rims of the fossa. All values were normalized to the diameter of the aortic root.ResultsA fenestrated defect was present in 9 specimens (56%). The shape defect itself was oval in all specimens, with a ratio of major to minor axes of 1.70 ± 0.63– The major axis took one of three main directions with respect to the vertical plane: in 11 specimens (69%) it was at horizontal; in 3 (19%) it was at oblique at an angle of 45 degrees; and in 2 (12%) it was vertical. Discordance was noted in some hearts between the major axis of the defect and that of the oval fossa. Structures closest to the rim of the fossa were the aortic mound, the coronary sinus, and the hinge point of the aortic leaflet of the mitral valve.ConclusionsExtrapolating from these specimens permitted identification of the major and minor axes of the atrial septal defect by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography. Our study has identified landmarks and dimensions that may be employed to improve effectiveness of selection of patients for transcatheter closure of defects within the oval fossa.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ningyu Li ◽  
Yumin Su

Numerical simulations are carried out to study the fluid dynamics of a complex-shaped low-aspect-ratio pectoral fin that performs the labriform swimming. Simulations of flow around the fin are achieved by a developed immersed boundary (IB) method, in which we have proposed an efficient local flow reconstruction algorithm with enough robustness and a new numerical strategy with excellent adaptability to deal with complex moving boundaries involved in bionic flow simulations. The prescribed fin kinematics in each period consists of the power stroke and the recovery stroke, and the simulations indicate that the former is mainly used to provide the thrust while the latter is mainly used to provide the lift. The fin wake is dominated by a three-dimensional dual-ring vortex wake structure where the partial power-stroke vortex ring is linked to the recovery-stroke ring vertically. Moreover, the connection of force production with the fin kinematics and vortex dynamics is discussed in detail to explore the propulsion mechanism. We also conduct a parametric study to understand how the vortex topology and hydrodynamic characteristics change with key parameters. The results show that there is an optimal phase angle and Strouhal number for this complicated fin. Furthermore, the implications for the design of a bioinspired pectoral fin are discussed based on the quantitative hydrodynamic analysis.


Geophysics ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. A13-A28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc T. Ikelle

Three-dimensional formulations of free-surface multiple attenuation for multioffset seismic data are well known. They are not yet used in practice because they require very dense source-receiver coverage, which is still out of reach with existing seismic-acquisition systems. The development of alternative solutions based on 2D algorithms depends on our understanding of the relationship between 2D and 3D free-surface multiple-attenuation methods. This paper attempts to enhance this understanding by establishing the relationship between 2D and 3D inverse scattering free-surface multiple attenuation. A 3D model consisting of three scattering points (one scattered point located in the vertical plane containing the shooting line and the other two points outside this plane) in a homogeneous medium (for which the exact pressure field is analytically known) is used to show that the 2D inverse scattering multiple-attenuation algorithm predicts all free-surface multiples as does its 3D counterpart but with some traveltime and amplitude errors. One implication of this result is that the current 2D inverse scattering multiple-attenuation algorithm, with an appropriate 2D-to-3D correction, can be used to predict the free-surface multiples for data containing out-of-plane scattering.


1979 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-271
Author(s):  
R. W. BLAKE

1. A blade-element approach is used to analyse the mechanics of the drag-based pectoral fin power stroke in an Angelfish in steady forward, rectilinear progression. 2. Flow reversal occurs at the base of the fin at the beginning and at the end of the power stroke. Values for the rate of increase and decrease in the relative velocity of the blade-elements increase distally, as do such values for hydrodynamical angle of attack. At the beginning and end of the power stroke, negative angles occur at the base of the fin. 3. The outermost 40% of the fin produces over 80% of the total thrust produced during the power stroke, and doe8 over 80% of the total work. Small amounts of reversed thrust are produced at the base of the fin during the early and late parts of the stroke. 4. The total amount of energy required during a cycle to drag the body and inactive fins through the water is calculated to be approximately 2.8 × 10−6 J and the total energy produced by the fins over the cycle (ignoring the recovery stroke) which is associated with producing the hydrodynamic thrust force, is about 1.0 × 10−5 J; which gives a propulsive efficiency of about 0.26. 5. The energy required to move the mass of a pectoral fin during the power stroke is calculated to be approximately 2.6 × 10−7 J. Taking this into account reduces the value of the propulsive efficiency by about 4% to about 0.25. The total energy needed to accelerate and decelerate the added mass associated with the fin is calculated and added to the energy required to produce the hydrodynamic thrust force and the energy required to move the mass of the fins; giving a final propulsive efficiency of 0.18.


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