A Numerical Study of Flow Past a Wall-Mounted Dolphin Dorsal Fin at Low Reynolds Numbers
Dolphin swimming has been a captivating subject, yet the dorsal fin’s hydrodynamics remain underexplored. In this study, we conducted three-dimensional simulations of flow around a wall-mounted dolphin dorsal fin derived from a real dolphin scan. The NEK5000 (spectral element method) was employed wi...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| author | Zhonglu Lin Ankang Gao Yu Zhang |
| author_facet | Zhonglu Lin Ankang Gao Yu Zhang |
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| description | Dolphin swimming has been a captivating subject, yet the dorsal fin’s hydrodynamics remain underexplored. In this study, we conducted three-dimensional simulations of flow around a wall-mounted dolphin dorsal fin derived from a real dolphin scan. The NEK5000 (spectral element method) was employed with a second-order hex20 mesh to ensure high simulation accuracy and efficiency. A total of 13 cases were simulated, covering angles of attack (AoAs) ranging from <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mn>0</mn><mo>°</mo></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula> to <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mn>60</mn><mo>°</mo></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula> and Reynolds numbers (Re) between 691 and 2000. Our results show that both drag and lift increase significantly with the AoA. Almost no vortex was observed at <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>AoA</mi><mo>=</mo><msup><mn>0</mn><mo>°</mo></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>, whereas complex vortex structures emerged for <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>AoA</mi><mo>≥</mo><msup><mn>30</mn><mo>°</mo></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>, including half-horseshoe, hairpin, arch, and wake vortices. This study offers insights that can inform the design of next-generation underwater robots, heat exchangers, and submarine sails. |
| format | Article |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
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| series | Biomimetics |
| spelling | doaj-art-2c7c0fa6ef04461d8090954d5ffcb3592025-08-20T02:08:08ZengMDPI AGBiomimetics2313-76732024-11-0191168210.3390/biomimetics9110682A Numerical Study of Flow Past a Wall-Mounted Dolphin Dorsal Fin at Low Reynolds NumbersZhonglu Lin0Ankang Gao1Yu Zhang2Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology of the Ministry of Education, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, ChinaDepartment of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, ChinaKey Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology of the Ministry of Education, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, ChinaDolphin swimming has been a captivating subject, yet the dorsal fin’s hydrodynamics remain underexplored. In this study, we conducted three-dimensional simulations of flow around a wall-mounted dolphin dorsal fin derived from a real dolphin scan. The NEK5000 (spectral element method) was employed with a second-order hex20 mesh to ensure high simulation accuracy and efficiency. A total of 13 cases were simulated, covering angles of attack (AoAs) ranging from <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mn>0</mn><mo>°</mo></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula> to <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mn>60</mn><mo>°</mo></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula> and Reynolds numbers (Re) between 691 and 2000. Our results show that both drag and lift increase significantly with the AoA. Almost no vortex was observed at <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>AoA</mi><mo>=</mo><msup><mn>0</mn><mo>°</mo></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>, whereas complex vortex structures emerged for <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>AoA</mi><mo>≥</mo><msup><mn>30</mn><mo>°</mo></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>, including half-horseshoe, hairpin, arch, and wake vortices. This study offers insights that can inform the design of next-generation underwater robots, heat exchangers, and submarine sails.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/9/11/682hydrodynamicscomputational fluid dynamicsnumerical simulationdolphinswimmingbio-locomotion |
| spellingShingle | Zhonglu Lin Ankang Gao Yu Zhang A Numerical Study of Flow Past a Wall-Mounted Dolphin Dorsal Fin at Low Reynolds Numbers Biomimetics hydrodynamics computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation dolphin swimming bio-locomotion |
| title | A Numerical Study of Flow Past a Wall-Mounted Dolphin Dorsal Fin at Low Reynolds Numbers |
| title_full | A Numerical Study of Flow Past a Wall-Mounted Dolphin Dorsal Fin at Low Reynolds Numbers |
| title_fullStr | A Numerical Study of Flow Past a Wall-Mounted Dolphin Dorsal Fin at Low Reynolds Numbers |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Numerical Study of Flow Past a Wall-Mounted Dolphin Dorsal Fin at Low Reynolds Numbers |
| title_short | A Numerical Study of Flow Past a Wall-Mounted Dolphin Dorsal Fin at Low Reynolds Numbers |
| title_sort | numerical study of flow past a wall mounted dolphin dorsal fin at low reynolds numbers |
| topic | hydrodynamics computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation dolphin swimming bio-locomotion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/9/11/682 |
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