Meeting Abstract
In this work, a combined experimental and computational approach is used to find the optimal structural design for a tuna-based robotic model (tunabot) that can achieve high tail beat frequency (up to 15Hz). The numerical modeling approach employs a flow-structure-interaction (FSI) immersed boundary solver for low-Reynolds number viscous flows. The experimental approach uses a stereo-videographic technique to obtain the three-dimensional, time-dependent caudal fin deformation and kinematics of a yellowfin tuna in steady swimming. Informed by the biological data, an inverse structure design method together with a gradient-based optimization method are then used to find the optimal structure design of the propulsor for the tunabot to achieve efficient swimming. The primary objectives of the computational effort are to quantify the swimming performance of the tunabot with different bending stiffness in tail design as well as to investigate the role of chord-wise flexibility and spanwise-wise flexibility in high-performance robot model design. The results of this work will also help us to examine the key hydrodynamic features shared by the robot swimming and fish swimming and lay the foundation to explore a fish-like performance space for bio-inspired autonomous underwater vehicles.
