Regular Article: A Numerical Study of Undulatory Swimming

A numerical study of undulatory locomotion is presented. Unsteady hydrodynamics around an undulatory swimming body is solved using a time-accurate solution of the three-dimensional, incompressible, laminar Navier-Stokes equations. A realistic tadpole-shaped body is modeled, which ''swims'' by sending a laterally compressing, sinusoidal wave down the tail tip. The method is validated by an extensive numerical study of the thrust generation of an oscillating airfoil, involving comparisons with reliable experimental results. For a three-dimensional tadpole model that undergoes undulatory swimming, the hydrodynamics and mechanism of the undulatory swimming were then analyzed and compared with conventional hydrodynamic theories, which provide a general understanding of the relationship between the dynamic vortex flow and the jet-stream propulsion associated with undulatory locomotion of vertebrates.

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