All Problems Are Fluids Problems: Fluid Dynamics Across Scales in Environmental Flows

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Presenter

Sara Oliveira Santos, Ph.D.
Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics
Jackson School of Geosciences
The University of Texas at Austin

Description

Fluid dynamics governs locomotion across scales, from small swimming organisms to engineered underwater robots designed for ocean exploration. Understanding the physical mechanisms underlying biological swimming can provide insights for the design of underwater robots that operate efficiently across a range of flow regimes. Metachronal locomotion, characterized by the sequential beating of appendages moving in a tail-to-head motion, is present across a wide range of length scales and Reynolds numbers (Re). Here, we use shrimp as a model organism to study the fundamental hydrodynamic principles governing drag-based, multi-appendage propulsion. We examine the individual characteristics of their kinematics and morphology to understand the underlying physics enabling high maneuverability and speed. Using experimental techniques and a robotic platform, we investigate the hydrodynamics of a single beating appendage’s near- and far-field flow. We perform concurrent kinematics, force, and velocimetry measurements to understand the generation of thrust and lift, and the formation of vortices around one propulsor. We find that shrimp produce lift through a leading-edge vortex during the power stroke by taking advantage of the angle of incidence of their exopodite. Insights from our robotic platform provide design guidelines for bio-inspired underwater uncrewed robots, contribute to understanding the evolutionary history of metachronal swimmers, and establish a link between their adaptations and the ecosystem. More broadly, this work connects biological propulsion to the challenges of underwater robotic mobility across environments, from Earth’s oceans to subsurface ocean worlds such as Europa and Enceladus.