Optimization of a Dual Foil Flapping Device

Aquatic animals, such as dolphins and tuna, have the ability to swim and maneuver at much greater capacity than any man-made device. If their propulsion methods could be replicated mechanically, the benefits to underwater propulsion would be great. A dual foil pitching-plunging device is used to replicate the basic swimming motion of a dolphin. Numerical simulations are used to predict the behavior of a single foil configuration and its wake. The numerical results are used to predict the behavior of the device and to better direct the experimental study. Experimentally, both a single and dual foil configuration are optimized, with the goal being to determine the optimal conditions for maximizing aft foil thrust production.Naval Postgraduate School Monterey CA is the author of 'Optimization of a Dual Foil Flapping Device', published 2003 under ISBN 9781423547693 and ISBN 1423547691.