The effect of dynamic twisting on the flow field and the unsteady forces of a heaving flat plate

Abstract

Many marine animals can dynamically twist their pectoral fins while swimming. The effects of such dynamic twisting on the unsteady forces on the fin and its surrounding flow field are yet to be understood in detail. In this paper, a flat plate executing a heaving maneuver is subjected to a similar dynamic twisting. In particular, the effects of the direction of twist, non-dimensional heaving amplitude, and reduced frequency are studied using a force sensor and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. Two reduced frequencies, , and , and two twisting modes are investigated. In the first twisting mode, the plate is twisted in the direction of the heave (forward-twist), and in the second mode, the plate is twisted opposite to the direction of the heave (backward-twist). Force sensor measurements show that the forward-twist recovers some of the lift that is usually lost during the upstroke of flapping locomotion. Additionally, the forward-twist maintains a near-constant lift coefficient during the transition between downstroke and upstroke, suggesting a more stable form of locomotion. PIV results show that forward-twist limits circulation and leading-edge vortex growth during the downstroke, keeping at the cost of the reduced lift. By contrast, backward-twist increases the circulation during the downstroke, resulting in large increases in both lift and drag coefficients. Force sensor data also showed that this effect on the lift is reversed during the upstroke, where the backward-twist causes a negative lift. The effects of each twisting mode are mainly caused by the changes in the shear layer velocity that occur as a result of twisting about the spanwise axis along the mid-chord. The twisting performed by forward-twist reduces the effective angle of attack through the upstroke and downstroke, resulting in a reduced shear layer velocity and lower circulation. The twisting performed by backward-twist does the exact opposite, increasing the effective angle of attack through the upstroke and downstroke and consequently increasing the shear layer velocity and circulation.