Dynamic analysis of the sinusoidal actuation of a flexible fin for paired fin propulsion

Abstract

In this research, the sinusoidal actuation of a flexible fin for median and/or paired fin propulsion is studied. A prototype of an underwater robot is built, and the computer-aided engineering simulation method is used for the transmission system of the flexible fin. The fin ray at the end of the trajectory and the crankshaft drive the parameters as a function of the fin ray output parameters. Given the fin and the fin surface motion for the coupled simulation analysis, the flexible fin surface and the fin sinusoidal oscillation are studied. The deformation of the fin surface is established outside the edge wave trajectory equation of motion. The equations of motion are verified by simulation. The single fin wave model is solved with the computational fluid dynamics method, and the hydrodynamic performance of the fin surface is obtained. Using the dynamic mesh technique, the complex large fluctuation motion of the fin surface is solved. With different amplitudes and periods of the fin wave as the input parameters, a simulation of the fin wave propulsion is conducted, and the relationship between the fin wave propulsion force and the fin wave resistance is calculated. The correctness of the simulation results of the sinusoidal fixed wave of the fin surface is verified by a fin wave ink experiment.