Travelling waves in beam-like structures submerged in water

Abstract

There are many examples in nature of travelling waves used for propulsion purposes, e.g., micro-organisms and sea creatures. Structural travelling waves can be used to induce momentum in a surrounding media creating a net propelling force. Recent research has tried to capture this interaction in engineering devices. Nonetheless, some challenges remain to fully exploit this phenomenon so that travelling-waves propelled devices can be optimally designed. One such challenge is that the interaction between the structure and the surrounding fluid heavily influences the amplitude of the waves and how they travel through the structure. This paper proposes a systematic qualitative and quantitative analysis of travelling waves in a slender cantilever beam submerged in water. The novelty of this work is demonstrated through two key aspects: The application of the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation combined with the Galerkin approximation, enabling a deeper understanding of how travelling waves form at resonant frequencies rather than non-resonant ones; and An analytical approach using a Galerkin approximation to characterise the nonlinear fluid-structure interaction, followed by linearisation for a comprehensive parametric study of the problem. In this investigation, the contributions of the first five vibration modes are considered in relation to the travelling waves observed near the resonant peaks. Experimental tests validate the analytical results and assess the accuracy of the proposed models. The results demonstrate that the model presented effectively characterises the travelling waves, making a suitable tool for the design of travelling-wave propelled devices.