On the dynamics of swimming linked bodies

• Main Authors: Kajtar, J. B, Monaghan, J. J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 11-11-2009
• Subjects: Physics - Fluid Dynamics
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.0911.2050

In this paper we study the motion of three linked ellipses moving through a
viscous fluid in two dimensions. The angles between the ellipses change with
time in a specified manner (the gait) and the resulting time varying
configuration is similar to the appearance of a swimming leech. We simulate the
motion using the particle method Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) which we
test by convergence studies and by comparison with the inviscid results of
Kanso et al. (2005) and the viscous results of Eldredge (2006, 2007, 2008). We
determine how the average speed and power output depends on the amplitude and
oscillation frequency of the gait. We find that the results fit simple scaling
rules which can related to the analytical results of G. I. Taylor for the
swimming of long narrow animals (1952). We apply our results to estimate the
speed of a swimming leech with reasonable accuracy, and we determine the
minimum power required to propel the bodies at a specified average speed.