Meeting Abstract
We consider the propulsive performance of an unsteady heaving and bending foil with shape inspired by Thunniform swimmers such as tuna, computationally studying a parameter space of frequencies and phase offsets between heave and bend motions. The phase offset Φ between the heaving and bending motions proves to be critical in determining the propulsive performance and flow structure of the fish-shaped panel. To maximize thrust, the heave and bend motions have to be in-phase but not completely (Φ ~ 330°), while to maximize efficiency, the bending motion needs to lag the heave motion by about quarter of period, which results in a motion of caudal fin at modest angle of attack.
