A viscous vortex particle method for deforming bodies with application to biolocomotion

Bio‐inspired mechanics of locomotion generally consist of the interaction of flexible structures with the surrounding fluid to generate propulsive forces. In this work, we extend, for the first time, the viscous vortex particle method (VVPM) to continuously deforming two‐dimensional bodies. The VVPM is a high‐fidelity Navier–Stokes computational method that captures the fluid motion through evolution of vorticity‐bearing computational particles. The kinematics of the deforming body surface are accounted for via a surface integral in the Biot–Savart velocity. The spurious slip velocity in each time step is removed by computing an equivalent vortex sheet and allowing it to flux to adjacent particles; hence, no‐slip boundary conditions are enforced. Particles of both uniform and variable size are utilized, and their relative merits are considered. The placement of this method in the larger class of immersed boundary methods is explored. Validation of the method is carried out on the problem of a periodically deforming circular cylinder immersed in a stagnant fluid, for which an analytical solution exists when the deformations are small. We show that the computed vorticity and velocity of this motion are both in excellent agreement with the analytical solution. Finally, we explore the fluid dynamics of a simple fish‐like shape undergoing undulatory motion when immersed in a uniform free stream, to demonstrate the application of the method to investigations of biomorphic locomotion. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.