Wake-based unsteady modeling of the aquatic beetle Dytiscus marginalis
- Creators
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Whittlesey, Robert W.
Abstract
Dytiscus marginalis simultaneously uses its hind legs to propel itself through the water. Previous work has suggested that use of synchronized leg motions, such as that used by D. marginalis, allows it to swim with higher hydrodynamic efficiency than similarly sized insects that alternate their legs during swimming. A model is developed based on the generation of vortices in the wake to calculate the relative efficiency of synchronized-leg-swimming kinematics compared to alternating-leg-swimming kinematics. The model agrees well with measured values of swimming speeds during steady state and predicts an overall hydrodynamic swimming efficiency of 18% for synchronized-leg-swimming. Additionally, synchronized-leg swimming is calculated to be 39% more hydrodynamically efficient than alternating-leg-swimming kinematics, thus verifying previous suggestions of greater hydrodynamic efficiency in D. marginalis based on swimming observation.
Additional Information
© 2011 Elsevier Ltd. Received 20 March 2011; revised 19 June 2011; Accepted 2 August 2011. Available online 6 September 2011. The author thanks Professor J.O. Dabiri and K. Sutherland for their helpful discussions and comments on this work. The author also thanks the reviewers of this paper for their helpful feedback and suggested additions to make this a better paper.Attached Files
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 28513
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20111219-100202181
- Created
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2011-12-20Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-09Created from EPrint's last_modified field