Journal
EXTREME MECHANICS LETTERS
Volume 56, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.eml.2022.101853
Keywords
Flexural tensegrity; Propulsion system; Snap-through instability; Kinetic structures; Bi-stable mechanism; Fluid interaction
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An artificial propulsion device inspired by aquatic animals' tail flapping motion is proposed in this study. By utilizing a snapping cantilever beam based on flexural tensegrity, the device is capable of producing sequential snapping of multiple joints, enabling propulsion.
Many aquatic animals propel themselves by flapping their tails. Leveraging a recently proposed snapping cantilever beam based on the concept of flexural tensegrity, we propose a bio-inspired propulsion device. The design comprises a segmental beam with hollow voussoirs in unilateral contact along tailor-shaped surfaces, held together by a prestressed internal cable. Prescribing relative periodic rotation to a pair of consecutive control segments of the structured beam produces multi-articulated sequential snapping of all joints. We built a series of prototypes and performed precision experimental tests in water to characterize their propulsive capacity. A parametric study was carried out to characterize the dependence of the thrust produced by the oscillating tail on the following factors: number of segments, shape of the internal cavities dictating the cantilever curvature, and mobility constraint of a fin appended at the end of the tail. The results provide a proof of concept that our design for a snapping structured beam can be used as a propulsive device. We further demonstrate the feasibility of this propulsion unit to propel a toy boat in a water basin. (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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