Bio-Inspired Locomotion based on Fluid-Flexible Body-Thermal Interaction

Abstract

Fluid-flexible body interaction is commonly observed in nature when a flow passes around a movable or deformable flexible structure, e.g., swimming fish, flying birds, falling leaves, cilia beating in the bronchial tube, and waving terrestrial and aquatic plants. Analyzing fluid-flexible body interaction helps us understand the fundamental mechanism in natural and biological systems. More importantly, the research on fluid-flexible body interaction can provide solutions to many engineering problems which arise in industrial fields and contribute to the development of efficient planes and automobiles and to the stable construction of offshore plants and marine structures. In the present thesis, various phenomena related to biological propulsions with consideration of fish schooling, ground effect, intermittent swimming and oscillatory locomotion are explored numerically and an energy harvesting system including flexible structures with bio-inspired arrangements is proposed based on the immersed boundary method (IBM) for fluid-flexible body interaction. In addition, a heat transfer system including wall-mounted flexible structures inspired by terrestrial and aquatic plants to enhance thermal efficiency is proposed using the IBM for fluid-flexible body-thermal interaction. The results obtained in the present thesis are expected to provide insights into the development of future biomimetic underwater vehicles, eco-friendly systems for energy harvesting and heat transfer enhancement.