Meeting Abstract

S7-1.2  Friday, Jan. 6  Resonances in fish fin models ALBEN, S.*; WITT, C.; BAKER, T.V.; ANDERSON, E.; LAUDER, G.V.; Georgia Tech; Grove City College; Grove City College; Grove City College; Harvard Univ. alben@math.gatech.edu

When a flexible appendage such as a fish fin is flapped in a fluid, resonances can occur at certain combinations of flapping frequency and internal elastic parameters. Resonances correspond to peaks in propulsive force, but also input power supplied to the fin. We use mathematical and computational models to study resonances in thin foils and fin rays, both fixed and freely swimming in a flow. In many cases we can find simple approximate solutions that describe how thrust force and swimming speed scale with the length and elastic properties of the fins. We compare some results with recent experiments from the Lauder lab.