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The mechanism of flapping propulsion of an underwater glider

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Abstract

To develop a bionic maneuverable propulsion system to be applied in a small underwater vehicle, a new conceptual design of the bionic propulsion is applied to the traditional underwater glider. The numerical simulation focuses on the autonomous under-water glider (AUG)’s flapping propulsion at Re = 200 by solving the incompressible viscous Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the immersed boundary method. The systematic analysis of the effect of different motion parameters on the propulsive efficiency of the AUG is carried out, including the hydrofoil’s heaving amplitude, the pitching amplitude, the phase lag between heaving and pitching and the flapping frequency. The results obtained in this study can provide some physical insights into the propulsive mechanisms in the flapping -based locomotion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. China Ship Scientific Research Center, Wuxi, 214082, China

    Yong-cheng Li  (李永成) & Zheng Ma  (马峥)

  2. Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Ding-yi Pan  (潘定一)

Authors
  1. Yong-cheng Li  (李永成)
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  2. Ding-yi Pan  (潘定一)
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  3. Zheng Ma  (马峥)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ding-yi Pan  (潘定一).

Additional information

Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51279184).

Biography: Yong-cheng LI (1992-), Male, Master Candidate

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Li, Yc., Pan, Dy. & Ma, Z. The mechanism of flapping propulsion of an underwater glider. J Hydrodyn 28, 918–921 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1001-6058(16)60693-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1001-6058(16)60693-5

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