Hydrodynamic Performance of Aquatic Flapping: Efficiency of Underwater Flight in the Manta

Fish, Frank E.; Schreiber, Christian M.; Moored, Keith W.; Li, Geng; Dong, Haibo; Bart‐Smith, Hilary

doi:10.3390/aerospace3030020

Cited by 156 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…To date, only a few studies have attempted to quantify swimming kinematics of batoids (e.g. Fish et al, 2016;Fontanella et al, 2013;Parson et al, 2011;Rosenblum et al, 2011), and threedimensional deformation of the wing during swimming has only been described in one species, the freshwater stingray, Potamotrygon orbignyi (Blevins and Lauder, 2012). Although the extreme morphology of batoids renders the wing disc essentially two-dimensional in shape, the disc assumes a complex threedimensional conformation during swimming that can be effectively described only using three-dimensional kinematic analyses (Blevins and Lauder, 2012;Lauder and Jayne, 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Batoid locomotion: effects of speed on pectoral fin deformation in the little skate, Leucoraja erinacea

Santo

Blevins

Lauder

2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Most batoids have a unique swimming mode in which thrust is generated by either oscillating or undulating expanded pectoral fins that form a disc. Only one previous study of the freshwater stingray has quantified three-dimensional motions of the wing, and no comparable data are available for marine batoid species that may differ considerably in their mode of locomotion. Here, we investigate threedimensional kinematics of the pectoral wing of the little skate, Leucoraja erinacea, swimming steadily at two speeds [1 and 2 body lengths (BL) s]. We measured the motion of nine points in three dimensions during wing oscillation and determined that there are significant differences in movement amplitude among wing locations, as well as significant differences as speed increases in body angle, wing beat frequency and speed of the traveling wave on the wing. In addition, we analyzed differences in wing curvature with swimming speed. At 1 BL s −1 , the pectoral wing is convex in shape during the downstroke along the medio-lateral fin midline, but at 2 BL s −1 the pectoral fin at this location cups into the flow, indicating active curvature control and fin stiffening. Wing kinematics of the little skate differed considerably from previous work on the freshwater stingray, which does not show active cupping of the whole fin on the downstroke.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Batoid locomotion: effects of speed on pectoral fin deformation in the little skate, Leucoraja erinacea

Santo

Blevins

Lauder

2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…More details and validations of the three-dimensional unsteady boundary element method can be found in (Moored 2018). Further validations and applications of the solver can be found in (Fish et al 2016;Akoz & Moored 2018;Quinn et al 2014).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scaling laws for the propulsive performance of three-dimensional pitching propulsors

et al. 2019

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Scaling laws for the thrust production and energetics of self-propelled or fixed-velocity three-dimensional rigid propulsors undergoing pitching motions are presented. The scaling relations extend the two-dimensional scaling laws presented in Moored & Quinn (2018) by accounting for the added mass of a finite-span propulsor, the downwash/upwash effects from the trailing vortex system of a propulsor, and the elliptical topology of shedding trailing-edge vortices. The novel three-dimensional scaling laws are validated with self-propelled inviscid simulations and fixed-velocity experiments over a range of reduced frequencies, Strouhal numbers and aspect ratios relevant to bio-inspired propulsion. The scaling laws elucidate the dominant flow physics behind the thrust production and energetics of pitching bio-propulsors, and they provide guidance for the design of bio-inspired propulsive systems.

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“…The thickened leading edge of the pectoral fins coupled with the wing‐like taper and prominent sweepback, concentrate the surface area toward the trailing edge, shifting lift distribution posteriorly and affecting pitching equilibrium (Fish, Dong, Zhu, & Bart‐Smith, ; Fontanella et al, ; Webb, ). Oscillatory movements are produced by anteriorly directed lift throughout the stroke to generate a thrust vector (Fish et al, ). We propose that the stiff anterior part of the wing is well suited for producing lift, but poorly suited to the task of guiding swimming.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of underwater flight: The redistribution of pectoral fin rays, in manta rays and their relatives (Myliobatidae)

Hall

Hundt

Swenson

et al. 2018

Journal of Morphology

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Batoids are a diverse clade of flat cartilaginous fishes that occur primarily in benthic marine habitats. The skates and rays typically use their flexible pectoral fins for feeding and propulsion via undulatory swimming. However, two groups of rays have adopted a pelagic or bentho-pelagic lifestyle and utilize oscillatory swimming-the Myliobatidae and Gymnuridae. The myliobatids have evolved cephalic lobes, anteriorly extended appendages that are optimized for feeding, while their pectoral fins exhibit several modifications that likely arose in association with functional optimization of pelagic cruising via oscillatory flight. Here, we examine variation in fin ray distribution and ontogenetic timing of fin ray development in batoid pectoral fins in an evolutionary context using the following methods: radiography, computed tomography, dissections, and cleared and stained specimens. We propose an index for characterizing variation in the distribution of pectoral fin rays. While undulatory swimmers exhibit symmetry or slight anterior bias, we found a posterior shift in the distribution of fin rays that arose in two distinct lineages in association with oscillatory swimming. Undulatory and oscillatory swimmers occupy nonoverlapping morphospace with respect to fin ray distribution illustrating significant remodeling of pectoral fins in oscillatory swimmers. Further, we describe a derived skeletal feature in anterior pectoral fins of the Myliobatidae that is likely associated with optimization of oscillatory swimming. By examining the distribution of fin rays with clearly defined articulation points, we were able to infer evolutionary trends and body plan remodeling associated with invasion of the pelagic environment. Finally, we found that the number and distribution of fin rays is set early in development in the little skate, round stingray, and cownose ray, suggesting that fin ray counts from specimens after birth or hatching are representative of adults and therefore comparable among species.

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Hydrodynamic Performance of Aquatic Flapping: Efficiency of Underwater Flight in the Manta

Cited by 156 publications

References 51 publications

Batoid locomotion: effects of speed on pectoral fin deformation in the little skate, Leucoraja erinacea

Batoid locomotion: effects of speed on pectoral fin deformation in the little skate, Leucoraja erinacea

Scaling laws for the propulsive performance of three-dimensional pitching propulsors

The evolution of underwater flight: The redistribution of pectoral fin rays, in manta rays and their relatives (Myliobatidae)

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