Ship’s Propulsion Mechanism of Two-Stage “Weis-Fogh” Type

The dynamic properties of a ship's two-stage «Weis-Fogh» type propulsion mechanism are experimentally and numerically investigated. In order to study the effects of the interaction of the two wings, the wings are designed in a manner that enable them to move close to each other. The opening angle and the moving speed are the same for both wings. Two cases of the phase differences of the wings' motions are considered, the in-phase case and the out-of-phase case. The differences of the dynamic properties between the two wings are shown and the properties of this propulsion mechanism are discussed