Meeting Abstract
In undulatory locomotion, torques (bending moment) are required along the body to overcome the external forces from environments and internal body forces. For animals such as eels, such torques are generated by muscles and therefore have been used to explain the timing of muscle activation. Previous observations of muscle activation and torques from models all showed a single traveling wave pattern from head to tail. However, previous studies are limited to animals or models with wave number (number of wavelengths on the locomotor’s body) less than 2. Using a resistive force theory model, we find that as the wave number increases from 0.5 to 1.8, the speed of the traveling wave of torque decreases, and when the wave number increases to 2 and greater, the torque pattern transits from a single traveling wave to two traveling waves and then a complex pattern that consists two wave-like patterns. By analyzing the contributions of forces along the body to the torques, we explain the speed decrease of the torque wave and the pattern transition. Our results give insights into the mechanics of undulatory locomotion and predict possible muscle activation patterns that have not been observed in animals.
