The ability of fish to maneuver in tight places, perform stable high acceleration maneuvers, and hover efficiently has inspired the development of underwater robots propelled by flexible fins mimicking those of fish. In general, fin propulsion is a challenging fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problem characterized by large structural deformation and strong added-mass effect. It was recently reported that a simplified computational model using the vortex panel method for the fluid flow is not able to accurately predict thrust generation. In this work, a high-fidelity, fluid-structure coupled computational framework is applied to predict the propulsive performance of a series of biomimetic fins of various dimensions, shapes, and stiffness. This computational framework couples a three-dimensional finite-volume Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver and a nonlinear, finite-element computational structural dynamics (CSD) solver in a partitioned procedure. The large motion and deformation of the fluid-structure interface is handled using a validated, state-of-the-art embedded boundary method. The notorious numerical added-mass effect, that is, a numerical instability issue commonly encountered in FSI simulations involving incompressible fluid flows and light (compared to fluid) structures, is suppressed by accounting for water compressibility in the CFD model and applying a low-Mach preconditioner in the CFD solver. Both one-way and two-way coupled simulations are performed for a series of flexible fins with different thickness. Satisfactory agreement between the simulation prediction and the corresponding experimental data is achieved.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2015 34th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering
May 31–June 5, 2015
St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
Conference Sponsors:
- Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-5655-0
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
High-Fidelity Fluid Structure Coupled Simulations for Underwater Propulsion Using Flexible Biomimetic Fins Available to Purchase
Howard J. Chung,
Howard J. Chung
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Search for other works by this author on:
Ashok K. Kancharala,
Ashok K. Kancharala
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Search for other works by this author on:
Michael K. Philen,
Michael K. Philen
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Search for other works by this author on:
Kevin G. Wang
Kevin G. Wang
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Search for other works by this author on:
Howard J. Chung
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Ashok K. Kancharala
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Michael K. Philen
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Kevin G. Wang
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
Paper No:
OMAE2015-41674, V007T06A040; 10 pages
Published Online:
October 21, 2015
Citation
Chung, HJ, Kancharala, AK, Philen, MK, & Wang, KG. "High-Fidelity Fluid Structure Coupled Simulations for Underwater Propulsion Using Flexible Biomimetic Fins." Proceedings of the ASME 2015 34th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering. Volume 7: Ocean Engineering. St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. May 31–June 5, 2015. V007T06A040. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/OMAE2015-41674
Download citation file:
32
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
A Fluid–Structure Interaction Study on a Bionic Fish Fin With Non-Uniform Stiffness Distribution
J. Offshore Mech. Arct. Eng (October,2020)
Median and Paired Fin Controllers for Biomimetic Marine Vehicles
Appl. Mech. Rev (July,2005)
A Numerical Model for the Analysis of the Locomotion of a Cownose Ray
J. Fluids Eng (March,2022)
Related Chapters
Laminar Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer
Applications of Mathematical Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Models in Engineering and Medicine
List of Commercial Codes
Introduction to Finite Element, Boundary Element, and Meshless Methods: With Applications to Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow
Applications
Introduction to Finite Element, Boundary Element, and Meshless Methods: With Applications to Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow