Enhanced performance of a self-propelled flexible plate by a uniform shear flow and mechanism insight

Abstract

The hydrodynamics of a two-dimensional self-propelled flexible plate in a uniform shear flow is explored using a penalty-immersed boundary method. The leading edge of the plate is enforced into a prescribed harmonic oscillation in the vertical direction but free to move in the horizontal direction. It is found that as the shear rate increases, the input power, the propulsive velocity, and the efficiency increase. This finding means that the plate enables to get substantial hydrodynamic benefits from the shear flow. Using the force decomposition method based on the weighted integral of the second invariant of the velocity gradient tensor, the hydrodynamic force exerted on the plate is decomposed into a body-acceleration force, a vortex-induced force, and forces due to viscous effects. The results show that the body-acceleration force is the main driving force of the self-propelled motion, and that it is almost invariant with the shear rate. The vortex-induced force offers a significant contribution to the drag, and it decreases with the shear rate. The viscous friction force provides a pure drag, and it increases with the propulsion velocity. Further investigation on the vortex evolution and the vortex-induced force shows that the incoming shear flow destroys the trailing-edge vortex that sheds during the downward half period and, therefore, reduces the vortex-induced drag, which is the reason for the enhanced propulsive performance in the shear flow. The result obtained in this study provides new insight into the self-propulsion mechanism in complex incoming flows.