Comparison of bio-inspired flapping foil propulsion systems with rotary propulsion

Srikanth Dharwada; Aman Agarwal; Prabhu Rajagopal

doi:10.1117/12.2291887

27 March 2018 Comparison of bio-inspired flapping foil propulsion systems with rotary propulsion

Srikanth Dharwada, Aman Agarwal, Prabhu Rajagopal

Proceedings Volume 10593, Bioinspiration, Biomimetics, and Bioreplication VIII; 105930W (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2291887
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2018, Denver, Colorado, United States

Abstract

Conventional rotary thrusters used in underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) suffer from disadvantages such as high noise, entangling with floating objects and limited efficiency. Our group has studied bio-inspired propulsion with a single caudal fin which overcomes some of these disadvantages. However, it still faces some problems such as low thrust density (thrust generated per unit volume of the thruster), pitch/yaw and centre of mass (COM) oscillations in the body increasing the energy cost of transport. The solution being proposed is a novel dual flapping foil arrangement actuated using a single motor which tackles the limitations of single flapping foil. Comparison of efficiency, maximum thrust and thrust density has been performed between single and dual flapping foil propulsion. Also, this solution is benchmarked against commercially available rotary thrusters. The results showed that thrust density of bioinspired propulsion was not at par with rotary thrusters. However, the efficiency obtained was comparable.

Citation Download Citation

Srikanth Dharwada, Aman Agarwal, and Prabhu Rajagopal "Comparison of bio-inspired flapping foil propulsion systems with rotary propulsion", Proc. SPIE 10593, Bioinspiration, Biomimetics, and Bioreplication VIII, 105930W (27 March 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2291887

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