This article presents a comprehensive study of the effects of the caudal fin shape on the propulsion performance of a candal fin in harmonic heaving and pitching. A numerical simulation based on an unsteady panel meth...This article presents a comprehensive study of the effects of the caudal fin shape on the propulsion performance of a candal fin in harmonic heaving and pitching. A numerical simulation based on an unsteady panel method was carried out to analyze the hydrodynamic performance of flapping caudal fins of three shapes （the whale caudal fin with the largest projected area, the dolphin caudal fin with the median projected area, and the tuna caudal fin with the smallest projected area）. Then, a series of hydrodynamic experiments for three caudal fin shapes were performed. Both computational and experimental results indicate that the tuna caudal fin produces the highest efficiency. However the mean thrust coefficient of the tuna caudal fin is the smallest. It is found that although the mean thrust coefficient for the tuna caudal fin is not large, the input power of the tuna caudal fin is also quite small. So the tuna caudal fin achieves a high efficiency.展开更多
Many fishes use undulatory fin to propel themselves in the underwater environment. These locomotor mechanisms have a popular interest to many researchers. In the present study, we perform a three-dimensional unsteady ...Many fishes use undulatory fin to propel themselves in the underwater environment. These locomotor mechanisms have a popular interest to many researchers. In the present study, we perform a three-dimensional unsteady computation of an undulatory mechanical fin that is driven by Shape Memory Alloy （SMA）. The objective of the computation is to investigate the fluid dynamics of force production associated with the undulatory mechanical fin. An unstructured, grid-based, unsteady Navier-Stokes solver with automatic adaptive remeshing is used to compute the unsteady flow around the fin through five complete cycles. The pressure distribution on fin surface is computed and integrated to provide fin forces which are decomposed into lift and thrust. The velocity field is also computed throughout the swimming cycle. Finally, a comparison is conducted to reveal the dynamics of force generation according to the kinematic parameters of the undulatory fin （amplitude, frequency and wavelength）.展开更多
Forced convection cooling of fins on a high-temperature wall has been used to cool high-power electronic devices. We numerically calculated and experimentally measured the forced convection heat transfer coefficient a...Forced convection cooling of fins on a high-temperature wall has been used to cool high-power electronic devices. We numerically calculated and experimentally measured the forced convection heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of a diamond-shaped fin-array with water flow in this study, which had been reported to have a self-induced flip-flop flow phenomenon. Although the flip-flop flow phenomenon occurred in calculations, it was not observed in experiments. The heat transfer and pressure drop of the diamond-shaped fin-array could be estimated with equations for turbulent flow in tubes.展开更多
Fishes are famous for their ability to position themselves accurately even in turbulent flows. This ability is the result of the coordinated movement of fins which extend from the body. We have embarked on a research ...Fishes are famous for their ability to position themselves accurately even in turbulent flows. This ability is the result of the coordinated movement of fins which extend from the body. We have embarked on a research program designed to develop an agile and high efficient biologically inspired robotic fish based on the performance of hybrid mechanical fms. To accomplish this goal, a mechanical ray-like fin actuated by Shape Memory Alloy （SMA） is developed, which can realize both oscillatory locomotion and undulatory locomotion. We first give a brief introduction on the mechanical structure of our fin and then carry out theoretic analysis on force generation. Detailed information of these theoretical results is later revealed by Computational Huid Dynamic （CFD）, and is final validated by experiments. This robotic fin has potential application as a propulsor for future underwater vehicles in addition to being a valuable scientific instrument.展开更多
基金supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No.50879014)the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (Grant No.200802170010)
文摘This article presents a comprehensive study of the effects of the caudal fin shape on the propulsion performance of a candal fin in harmonic heaving and pitching. A numerical simulation based on an unsteady panel method was carried out to analyze the hydrodynamic performance of flapping caudal fins of three shapes （the whale caudal fin with the largest projected area, the dolphin caudal fin with the median projected area, and the tuna caudal fin with the smallest projected area）. Then, a series of hydrodynamic experiments for three caudal fin shapes were performed. Both computational and experimental results indicate that the tuna caudal fin produces the highest efficiency. However the mean thrust coefficient of the tuna caudal fin is the smallest. It is found that although the mean thrust coefficient for the tuna caudal fin is not large, the input power of the tuna caudal fin is also quite small. So the tuna caudal fin achieves a high efficiency.
文摘Many fishes use undulatory fin to propel themselves in the underwater environment. These locomotor mechanisms have a popular interest to many researchers. In the present study, we perform a three-dimensional unsteady computation of an undulatory mechanical fin that is driven by Shape Memory Alloy （SMA）. The objective of the computation is to investigate the fluid dynamics of force production associated with the undulatory mechanical fin. An unstructured, grid-based, unsteady Navier-Stokes solver with automatic adaptive remeshing is used to compute the unsteady flow around the fin through five complete cycles. The pressure distribution on fin surface is computed and integrated to provide fin forces which are decomposed into lift and thrust. The velocity field is also computed throughout the swimming cycle. Finally, a comparison is conducted to reveal the dynamics of force generation according to the kinematic parameters of the undulatory fin （amplitude, frequency and wavelength）.
文摘Forced convection cooling of fins on a high-temperature wall has been used to cool high-power electronic devices. We numerically calculated and experimentally measured the forced convection heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of a diamond-shaped fin-array with water flow in this study, which had been reported to have a self-induced flip-flop flow phenomenon. Although the flip-flop flow phenomenon occurred in calculations, it was not observed in experiments. The heat transfer and pressure drop of the diamond-shaped fin-array could be estimated with equations for turbulent flow in tubes.
文摘Fishes are famous for their ability to position themselves accurately even in turbulent flows. This ability is the result of the coordinated movement of fins which extend from the body. We have embarked on a research program designed to develop an agile and high efficient biologically inspired robotic fish based on the performance of hybrid mechanical fms. To accomplish this goal, a mechanical ray-like fin actuated by Shape Memory Alloy （SMA） is developed, which can realize both oscillatory locomotion and undulatory locomotion. We first give a brief introduction on the mechanical structure of our fin and then carry out theoretic analysis on force generation. Detailed information of these theoretical results is later revealed by Computational Huid Dynamic （CFD）, and is final validated by experiments. This robotic fin has potential application as a propulsor for future underwater vehicles in addition to being a valuable scientific instrument.
