Animal Locomotion

The physical principles of swimming and flying in animals are intriguingly different from those of ships and airplanes. The study of animal locomotion therefore holds a special place not only at the frontiers of pure fluid dynamics research, but also in the applied field of biomimetics, which aims to emulate salient aspects of the performance and function of living organisms. For example, fluid dynamic loads are so significant for swimming fish that they are expected to have developed efficient flow control procedures through the evolutionary process of adaptation by natural selection, which might in turn be applied to the design of robotic swimmers. And yet, sharply contrasting views as to the energetic efficiency of oscillatory propulsion – especially for marine animals – demand a careful assessment of the forces and energy expended at realistic Reynolds numbers. For this and many other research questions, an experimental approach is often the most appropriate methodology. This holds as much for flying animals as it does for swimming ones, and similar experimental challenges apply – studying tethered as opposed to free locomotion, or studying the flow around robotic models as opposed to real animals. This book provides a wide-ranging snapshot of the state-of-the-art in experimental research on the physics of swimming and flying animals. The resulting picture reflects not only upon the questions that are of interest in current pure and applied research, but also upon the experimental techniques that are available to answer them. pt. 1. The hydrodynamics of swimming. Swimming hydrodynamics : ten questions and the technical approaches needed to resolve them / George V. Lauder A potential-flow, deformable-body model for fluid-structure interactions with compact vorticity : application to animal swimming measurements / Jifeng Peng, John O. Dabiri Wake visualization of a heaving and pitching foil in a soap film / Florian T. Muijres, David Lentink A harmonic model of hydrodynamic forces produced by a flapping fin / David N. Beal, Promode R. Bandyopadhyay Flowfield measurements in the wake of a robotic lamprey / Marcus Hultmark, Megan Leftwich, Alexander J. Smits Impulse generated during unsteady maneuvering of swimming fish / Brenden P. Epps, Alexandra H. Techet Do trout swim better than eels? : challenges for estimating performance based on the wake of self-propelled bodies / Eric D. Tytell Time resolved measurements of the flow generated by suction feeding fish / Steven W. Day, Timothy E. Higham, Peter C. Wainwright Powered control mechanisms contributing to dynamically stable swimming in porcupine puffers (Teleostei: Diodon holocanthus) / Alexis M. Wiktorowicz, Dean V. Lauritzen, Malcolm S. Gordon Fluid dynamics of self-propelled microorganisms, from individuals to concentrated populations / Luis H. Cisneros ... [et al.] Swimming by microscopic organisms in ambient water flow / M.A.R. Koehl, Matthew A. Reidenbach Water-walking devices / David L. Hu, Manu Prakash, Brian Chan, John W.M. Bush Flapping flexible fish : periodic and secular body reconfigurations in swimming lamprey, Petromyzon marinus / Robert G. Root ... [et al.] Vortex dynamics in the wake of a mechanical fish / Christoph Brücker, Horst Bleckmann Investigation of flow mechanism of a robotic fish swimming by using flow visualization synchronized with hydrodynamic force measurement / Guang-Kun Tan ... [et al.]. pt. 2. The physics of flying. PIV-based investigations of animal flight / Geoffrey R. Spedding, Anders Hedenström Wing-wake interaction reduces power consumption in insect tandem wings / Fritz-Olaf Lehmann Experimental investigation of some aspects of insect-like flapping flight aerodynamics for application to micro air vehicles / Salman A. Ansari ... [et al.] Design and development considerations for biologically inspired flapping-wing micro air vehicles / Kevin D. Jones, Max F. Platzer Smoke visualization of free-flying bumblebees indicates independent leading-edge vortices on each wing pair / Richard James Bomphrey, Graham K. Taylor, Adrian L.R. Thomas The influence of airfoil kinematics on the formation of leading-edge vortices in bio-inspired flight / David Rival, Tim Prangemeier, Cameron Tropea Wake patterns of the wings and tail of hovering hummingbirds / Douglas L. Altshuler ... [et al.] Characterization of vortical structures and loads based on time-resolved PIV for asymmetric hovering flapping flight / T. Jardin, Laurent David, A. Farcy Unsteady fluid-structure interactions of membrane airfoils at low Reynolds numbers / P. Rojratsirikul, Z. Wang, I. Gursul Aerodynamic and functional consequences of wing compliance / Andrew M. Mountcastle, Thomas L. Daniel Shallow and deep dynamic stall for flapping low Reynolds number airfoils / Michael V. Ol ... [et al.] High-fidelity simulations of moving and flexible airfoils at low Reynolds numbers / Miguel R. Visbal, Raymond E. Gordnier, Marshall C. Galbraith High-speed stereo DPIV measurement of wakes of two bat species flying freely in a wind tunnel / Anders Hedenström ... [et al.] Time-resolved wake structure and kinematics of bat flight / Tatjana Y. Hubel ... [et al.] Experimental investigation of a flapping wing model / Tatjana Y. Hubel, Cameron Tropea Aerodynamics of intermittent bounds in flying birds / Bret W. Tobalske, Jason W.D. Hearn, Douglas R. Warrick Experimental analysis of the flow field over a novel owl based airfoil / Stephan Klän ... [et al.] The aerodynamic forces and pressure distribution of a revolving pigeon wing / James R. Usherwood. Front Matter....Pages - Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Swimming hydrodynamics: ten questions and the technical approaches needed to resolve them....Pages 3-15 A potential-flow, deformable-body model for fluid-structure interactions with compact vorticity: application to animal swimming measurements....Pages 17-26 Wake visualization of a heaving and pitching foil in a soap film....Pages 27-35 A harmonic model of hydrodynamic forces produced by a flapping fin....Pages 37-44 Flowfield measurements in the wake of a robotic lamprey....Pages 45-52 Impulse generated during unsteady maneuvering of swimming fish....Pages 53-62 Do trout swim better than eels? Challenges for estimating performance based on the wake of self-propelled bodies....Pages 63-74 Time resolved measurements of the flow generated by suction feeding fish....Pages 75-86 Powered control mechanisms contributing to dynamically stable swimming in porcupine puffers (Teleostei: Diodon holocanthus )....Pages 87-97 Fluid dynamics of self-propelled microorganisms, from individuals to concentrated populations....Pages 99-115 Swimming by microscopic organisms in ambient water flow....Pages 117-130 Water-walking devices....Pages 131-140 Flapping flexible fish....Pages 141-159 Vortex dynamics in the wake of a mechanical fish....Pages 161-172 Investigation of flow mechanism of a robotic fish swimming by using flow visualization synchronized with hydrodynamic force measurement....Pages 173-183 Front Matter....Pages 185-185 PIV-based investigations of animal flight....Pages 187-201 Wing–wake interaction reduces power consumption in insect tandem wings....Pages 203-213 Experimental investigation of some aspects of insect-like flapping flight aerodynamics for application to micro air vehicles....Pages 215-236 Design and development considerations for biologically inspired flapping-wing micro air vehicles....Pages 237-248 Smoke visualization of free-flying bumblebees indicates independent leading-edge vortices on each wing pair....Pages 249-259 Front Matter....Pages 185-185 The influence of airfoil kinematics on the formation of leading-edge vortices in bio-inspired flight....Pages 261-271 Wake patterns of the wings and tail of hovering hummingbirds....Pages 273-284 Characterization of vortical structures and loads based on time-resolved PIV for asymmetric hovering flapping flight....Pages 285-295 Unsteady fluid-structure interactions of membrane airfoils at low Reynolds numbers....Pages 297-310 Aerodynamic and functional consequences of wing compliance....Pages 311-320 Shallow and deep dynamic stall for flapping low Reynolds number airfoils....Pages 321-339 High-fidelity simulations of moving and flexible airfoils at low Reynolds numbers....Pages 341-360 High-speed stereo DPIV measurement of wakes of two bat species flying freely in a wind tunnel....Pages 361-370 Time-resolved wake structure and kinematics of bat flight....Pages 371-381 Experimental investigation of a flapping wing model....Pages 383-399 Aerodynamics of intermittent bounds in flying birds....Pages 401-411 Experimental analysis of the flow field over a novel owl based airfoil....Pages 413-427 The aerodynamic forces and pressure distribution of a revolving pigeon wing....Pages 429-441 Back Matter....Pages -