Self-propulsion of flapping bodies in viscous fluids: Recent advances and perspectives

Flapping-powered propulsion is used by many animals to locomote through air or water. Here we review recent experimental and numerical studies on self-propelled mechanical systems powered by a flapping motion. These studies improve our understanding of the mutual interaction between actively flapping bodies and surrounding fluids. The results obtained in these works provide not only new insights into biolocomotion but also useful information for the bio-mimetic design of artificial flyers and swimmers.     

Effects of mass and chordwise flexibility on 2D self-propelled flapping wings

A self-propelled flexible flapping wing 2D numerical model undergoing a combined pitching and heaving motion is presented. Since such freely moving foil experiences zero net thrust, a definition of efficiency for this kind of problem is proposed and discussed against other formulations found in the literature. It is also shown that the deviation motion of wings such as that found in natural flyers is likely a consequence of the fluid–structure dynamics of the wings. The passive deviation motion observed in numerical simulations is either a consequence of a feathering mechanism referred to as rigid feathering or of the inertial displacement caused by the wing deformation. The effects of flexibility on the performance of the wing are also presented. It is found that flexibility may significantly enhance the efficiency in pressure-driven deformation cases. The rigid feathering mechanism is found to have an effect similar to that of the feathering caused by wing flexibility on the performances of pressure-driven deformation cases.     

Three dimensional dynamics of ferromagnetic swimmer

It is shown that a flexible ferromagnetic filament self-propels perpendicularly to the AC magnetic field during a limited period of time due to the instability of the planar motion with respect to three dimensional perturbations. The transition from the oscillating U-like shapes to the oscillating S-like shapes is characterized by the calculated Wr number.     

Supramolecular colloidal motors via chemical self-assembly

A colloidal motor can convert energy stored in the environment to achieve mechanical motion and exhibit dynamic behaviors in fluids. To overcome the challenges presented to a colloidal motor, controlled molecular self-assembly technology provides new opportunities for the precise fabrication of various nanoarchitectures and facilitates fundamental research on rational design, multifunctionalization, propulsion, and controlled movement of colloidal motors. These molecular assembled colloidal motors, also called supramolecular colloidal motors, can perform special tasks at the micro- and nanoscale in the fields of biomedicine, nanotechnology, and environmental remediation. In this feature article, we first introduce the recent progress of controllable self-assembly of spatially asymmetric supramolecular colloidal motors with variable sizes, structures, and functions and discuss the relationship between structure and propulsion. Next, we review the research progress of this type of colloidal motors in biomedical and environmental fields. Finally, we propose the challenges of the supramolecular colloidal motors and future development direction.     

Efficiency of an auto-propelled flapping airfoil

The present study deals with an investigation of the flow aerodynamic characteristics and the propulsive velocity of a system equipped with a nature inspired propulsion system. In particular, the study is aimed at studying the effect of the flapping frequency on the flow behavior. We consider a NACA0014 airfoil undergoing a vertical sinusoidal flapping motion. In contrast to nearly all previous studies in the literature, the present work does not impose any velocity on the inlet flow. During each iteration the outer flow velocity is computed after having determined the forces exerted on the airfoil. Forward motion may only be produced by flapping motion of the airfoil. This is more consistent with the physical phenomenon. The non-stationary viscous flow around the flapping airfoil is simulated using Ansys-Fluent 12.0.7. The airfoil movement is achieved using the deformable mesh technique and an in-house developed User Define Function (UDF). Our results show the influence of flapping frequency and amplitude on both the airfoil velocity and the propulsive efficiency. The resulting motion is contrasts to the applied forces. In the present study, the frequency ranges from 0.1 to 20 Hz while the airfoil amplitude values considered are: 10%, 17.5%, 25% and 40%.