Fluid-body coupling in aquatic locomotion

May 20, 2011

Eva Kanso

Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

University of Southern California

Fluid-body coupling plays a crucial role in the locomotion of aquatic animals. In this talk, I do not propose high-fidelity models of fish, I rather discuss basic mechanisms by which idealized bodies swim in a perfect fluid. I focus on two types of locomotion: (i) active locomotion due to controlled body deformations, and (ii) passive locomotion due to energy harvested from ambient vorticity. I also comment on the stability of motion in unsteady flows and conclude by discussing the role of hydro-dynamic coupling in the motion coordination of multiple bodies.