Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Relationship between vortex ring in tail fin wake and propulsive force

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Experiments in Fluids Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Our aim was to investigate the three-dimensional (3D) vortex ring in the wake of a tail fin and to clarify the propulsion mechanism of dolphins and fish. In this study, we replaced a tail fin in pitching motion with an oscillating wing having a drive unit. The flow fields around the wing were measured by stereoscopic particle image velocimetry. To visualize the 3D structure of the vortex in the wake, we determined the flow fields in equally spaced cross-sectional planes. We reconstructed the 3D velocity fields from the velocity data with three components in two dimensions. We visualized the 3D vortex structure from these velocity data and plotted an iso-vorticity surface. As a result, we found that the vortex ring was generated by the kick-down and kick-up motions of the wing and that the wake structure was comparable with that obtained numerically. Moreover, we calculated the propulsive forces from the temporal variations in circulation and in the area surrounded by the vortex ring.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adrian RJ, Christensen KT, Liu Z-C (2000) Analysis and interpretation of instantaneous turbulent velocity fields. Exp Fluids 29:275–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alben S (2009) Simulating the dynamics of flexible bodies and vortex sheets. J Comput Phys 228:2587–2603

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson JM, Streitlien K, Barrett DS, Triantafyllou MS (1998) Oscillating foils of high propulsive efficiency. J Fluid Mech 360:41–72

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Blondeaux P, Formarelli F, Guglielmini L, Triantafyllou MS, Verzicco R (2005) Numerical experiments on flapping foils mimicking fish-like locomotion. Phys Fluids 17(113601)

  • Breder CM (1926) The locomotion of fishes. Zoologica 4:159–297

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchholz JHJ, Smits AJ (2006) On the evolution of the wake structure produced by a low-aspect-ratio pitching panel. J Fluid Mech 546:433–443

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Buchholz JHJ, Smits AJ (2008) The wake structure and thrust performance of a rigid low-aspect-ratio pitching panel. J Fluid Mech 603:331–365

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Coutanceau M, Defaye AY (1991) Circular cylinder wake configurations: a flow visualization survey. Appl Mech Rev 44:255–305

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dabiri JO, Gharib M (2005) The role of optimal vortex formation in biological fluid transport. Proc R Soc B272:1557–1560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dickinson MH (1996) Unsteady mechanisms of force generation in aquatic and aerial locomotion. Am Zool 36:537–554

    Google Scholar 

  • Dong H, Mittal R, Najjar FM (2006) Wake topology and hydrodynamic performance of low-aspect-ratio flapping foils. J Fluid Mech 566:309–343

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Drucker EG, Lauder GV (1999) Locomotor forces on a swimming fish: three-dimensional vortex wake dynamics quantified using digital particle image velocimetry. J Exp Biol 202:2393–2412

    Google Scholar 

  • Gharib M, Rambod E, Shariff K (1998) A universal time scale for vortex ring formation. J Fluid Mech 360:121–140

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Hama FR (1962) Streaklines in a perturbed shear flow. Phys Fluid 5:644–650

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Izumi K, Kuwahara K (1983) Unsteady flow field, lift and drag measurements of impulsively started elliptic cylinder and circular-arc airfoil. AIAA Paper 83–1711

  • Lamb H (1932) Hydrodynamics, 6th edn. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Linden PF, Turner JS (2004) ‘Optimal’ vortex rings and aquatic propulsion mechanisms. Proc R Soc B271:647–653

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsuuchi K, Miwa T, Nomura T, Sakakibara J, Shintani H, Ungerechts BE (2009) Unsteady flow field around a human hand and propulsive force in swimming. J Biomech 42:42–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milne-Thomson LM (1966) Theoretical aerodynamics. Macmillan, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Morikawa K, Grönig H (1995) Formation and structure of vortex systems around a translating and oscillating airfoil. Z Flugwiss Weltraumforsch 19:391–396

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller UK, van den Heuvel BLE, Stamhuis EJ, Videler JJ (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 

  • Nauen JC, Lauder GV (2002) Hydrodynamics of caudal fin locomotion by chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus (Scombridae). J Exp Biol 205:1709–1724

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker K, von Ellenrieder KD, Soria J (2005) Using stereo multigrid DPIV (SMDPIV) measurements to investigate the vortical skeleton behind a finite-span flapping wing. Exp Fluids 39:281–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker K, Soria J, von Ellenrieder KD (2007a) Thrust measurements from a finite-span flapping wing. AIAA J 45(1):58–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker K, von Ellenrieder KD, Soria J (2007b) Morphology of the forced oscillatory flow past a finite-span wing at low Reynolds number. J Fluid Mech 571:327–357

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Prasad AK, Adrian RJ (1993) Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry applied to liquid flows. Exp Fluids 15:49–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prasad AK, Jensen K (1995) Scheimpflug stereocamera for particle image velocimetry in liquid flows. Appl Opt 34:7092–7099

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sakakibara J, Nakagawa M, Yoshida M (2004) Stereo-PIV study of flow around a maneuvering fish. Exp Fluids 36:282–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sane SP (2003) The aerodynamics of insect flight. J Exp Biol 206:4191–4208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sengupta TK, Lim TT, Sajjan SV, Ganesh G, Soria J (2007) Accelerated flow past a symmetrical aerofoil: experiments and computations. J Fluid Mech 591:255–288

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Soria J, New TH, Lim TT, Parker K (2003) Multigrid CCDPIV measurements of accelerated flow past an airfoil at an angle of attack of 30º. Exp Therm Fluid Sci 27:667–676

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor GI (1938) The spectrum of turbulence. Proc R Soc 164:476–490

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor GK, Nudds RL, Thomas ALR (2003) Flying and swimming animals cruise at a Strouhal number tuned for high power efficiency. Nature 425:707–711

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Triantafyllou MS, Triantafyllou GS, Yue DKP (2000) Hydrodynamics of fishlike swimming. Ann Rev Fluid Mech 32:33–53

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Triantafyllou MS, Techet AH, Hover FS (2004) Review of experimental work in biomimetic foils. IEEE J Oceanic Eng 29:585–594

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Troolin DR, Longmire EK, Lai WT (2006) Time resolved PIV analysis of flow over a NACA 0015 airfoil with Gurney flap. Exp Fluids 41:241–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Ellenrieder KD, Parker K, Soria J (2003) Flow structures behind a heaving and pitching finite-span wing. J Fluid Mech 490:129–138

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfgang MJ, Triantafyllou MS, Yue DKP (1999) Visualization of complex near-body transport process in flexible-body propulsion. J Visual 2:143–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research (23650383) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The authors thank Professor Jun Sakakibara of the University of Tsukuba for providing many useful comments and the technical support for using the PIV measurement system. The authors also thank the reviewers for insightful comments and the editor for helpful guidance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8573, Japan

    Naoto Imamura & Kazuo Matsuuchi

Authors
  1. Naoto Imamura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kazuo Matsuuchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Naoto Imamura.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (MPG 25096 kb)

Supplementary material 2 (MPG 15872 kb)

Supplementary material 3 (MPG 30604 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Imamura, N., Matsuuchi, K. Relationship between vortex ring in tail fin wake and propulsive force. Exp Fluids 54, 1605 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-013-1605-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-013-1605-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation