Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Numerical study of propulsion performance in swimming fish using boundary element method

  • Technical Paper
  • Published:
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, hydrodynamic simulation of fish-like swimming for two types of aquatic animals including tuna fish and giant danio is presented. We employ an unsteady three-dimensional inviscid boundary element method including time stepping algorithm to capture the wake sheet and flow features around swimming fish in a straight course. At each time step, an unsteady Bernoulli equation was used to find the pressure distribution and thrust generated by the animal. To couple fluid solver with kinematic equations of flexible body, undulating motions of backbone were defined using a prescribed continuous function. Although the flexible motion mechanism controls the fish swimming but no structural model has been considered for the body, there is no fluid–solid interaction. To validate the model, we compare our results with the numerical work of Zhu et al. [1] and experimental results of Barrett et al. [2] and show that this methodology could be fast and reliable approach for the prediction of flexible propulsors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Triantafyllou MS et al. (2002) Three-dimensional flow structures and vorticity control in fish-like swimming. J Fluid Mech 1–28

  2. Barrett DS et al (1999) Drag reduction in fish-like locomotion. J Fluid Mech 392:183–212

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Sfakiotakis M et al (1999) Review of fish swimming modes for aquatic locomotion. IEEE J Oceanic Eng 24(2):237–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Gray J (1936) Studies in animal locomotion: the propulsive powers of the dolphin. J Exp Biol 13:192–199

    Google Scholar 

  5. Taylor GI (1952) Analysis of the swimming of long and narrow animals. Proc R Soc Lond 214(1117):158–183

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Hancock GJ (1953) The self-propulsion of microscopic organisms through liquids. Proc R Soc Lond 217(1128):96–121

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Gray J, Hancock GL (1955) The propulsion of Sea-Urchin spermatozoa. J Exp Biol 32:802–814

    Google Scholar 

  8. Lighthill M (1971) Large amplitude elongated-body theory of fish locomotion. Proc R Soc Lond 179:125–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Wu T (1961) Swimming of waving plate. J Fluid Mech 10:321–344

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  10. Wu T (1971) Hydromechanics of swimming propulsion. Part 1: swimming of a two-dimensional flexible plate at variable forward speeds in an inviscid fluid. J Fluid Mech 46:337–355

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. Wu T (1971) Hydromechanics of swimming propulsion. Part 2: some optimum shape problems. J Fluid Mech 46:521–544

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Wu T (1971) Hydromechanics of swimming propulsion. Part 3: swimming and optimum movements of slender fish with side fins. J Fluid Mech 46:545–568

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  13. Cheng J, Zhuang L, Tong B (1991) Analysis of swimming of three-dimensional waving plates. J Fluid Mech 232:341–355

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  14. Wolfgang MJ et al (1999) Near-body flow dynamics in swimming fish. J Exp Biol 202(Pt 17):2303–2327

    Google Scholar 

  15. Wolfgang M, Triantafyllou MS, Yue DKP (1999) Visualization of complex near-body transport processes in flexible-body propulsion. J Vis 2:143–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Borazjani I, Sotiropoulos F (2008) Numerical investigation of the hydrodynamics of carangiform swimming in the transitional and inertial flow regimes. J Exp Biol 211(Pt 10):1541–1558

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Borazjani I, Sotiropoulos F (2009) Numerical investigation of the hydrodynamics of anguilliform swimming in the transitional and inertial flow regimes. J Exp Biol 212(Pt 4):576–592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Pedley TJ, Hill SJ (1999) Large-amplitude undulatory fish swimming: fluid mechanics coupled to internal mechanics. J Exp Biol 202(Pt 23):3431–3438

    Google Scholar 

  19. Triantafyllou GS, Triantafyllou MS, Yue DKP (2000) Hydrodynamics of fish swimming. Annu Rev Fluid Mech 32:33–53

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  20. Stamhuis E, Videler JJ (1995) Quantitative flow analysis around aquatic animals using laser sheet particle image velocimetry. J Exp Biol 198:283–294

    Google Scholar 

  21. Anderson JM (1996) Vorticity control for efficient propulsion

  22. Triantafyllou MS et al (1996) A new paradigm of propulsion and maneuvering for marine vehicles. Trans Soc Naval Archit Mar Eng 104:81–100

    Google Scholar 

  23. Muller U et al (1997) Fish foot prints: morphology and energetics of the wake behind a continuously swimming mullet (Chelon Labrosus Risso). J Exp Biol 200:2893–2906

    Google Scholar 

  24. Liu H, Wassenberg R, Kawachi K (1997) The three-dimensional hydrodynamics of tadpole swimming. J Exp Biol 200:2807–2819

    Google Scholar 

  25. Kang C-K et al (2011) Effects of flexibility on the aerodynamic performance of flapping wings. J Fluid Mech 689:32–74

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  26. Liu W, Xiao Q, Cheng F (2013) A bio-inspired study on tidal energy extraction with flexible flapping wings. Bioinspir Biomim 8(3):036011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Quinn DB, Lauder GV, Smits AJ (2014) Flexible propulsors in ground effect. Bioinspir Biomim 9(3):036008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Ghaffari SA et al (2015) Simulation of forced deformable bodies interacting with two-dimensional incompressible flows: application to fish-like swimming. Int J Heat Fluid Flow 51:88–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Katz J, Plotkin A (1991) Low-speed aerodynamics. McGraw-Hill, Singapore

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  30. Hess JL (1972) Calculation of potential flow around arbitrary three dimensional lifting bodies. Report no. MDCJ 5679-01, McDonnell Douglas Corporation

  31. Delhommeau G (1989) Amélioration des performances des codes de calcul de diffraction-radiation au premier ordre. Acte des 2èmes Journées de l’Hydrodynamiques, Nantes (France), pp 69–88

  32. Hess JL, Smith AMO (1962) Calculation of non-lifting potential flow about arbitrary 3D bodies. Douglas Aircraft Report E.S.40622

  33. Politis GK (2005) Unsteady rollup modeling for wake-adapted propellers using a time-stepping method. J Ship Res 216–231

  34. Barrett DS (1996) Propulsive efficiency of a flexible hull underwater vehicle. Cambridge

  35. Smith R, Wright J (2004) Simulation of RoboTuna fluid dynamics using a new incompressible ALE method. AIAA paper 2004–23:2347

    Google Scholar 

  36. Tai A (2009) Simulation of flow around deforming bodies with a Boundary Element Method. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath: UK

  37. Techet AH, Hover FS, Triantafyllou MS (2003) Separation and turbulence control in biomimetic flows. Flow Turbul Combust 71(1–4):105–118

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  38. Anderson JM et al (1998) Oscillating foils of high propulsive efficiency. J Fluid Mech 360:41–72

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  39. Maxworthy T (1972) The structure and stability of vortex rings. J Fluid Mech 51(1):15–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

    Saeed Najafi & Madjid Abbaspour

Authors
  1. Saeed Najafi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Madjid Abbaspour
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Saeed Najafi.

Additional information

Technical Editor: Marcio S Carvalho.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Najafi, S., Abbaspour, M. Numerical study of propulsion performance in swimming fish using boundary element method. J Braz. Soc. Mech. Sci. Eng. 39, 443–455 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40430-016-0613-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40430-016-0613-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation