Generalization of waving-plate theory to multiple interacting swimmers
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2023
Abstract
Early research in aerodynamics and biological propulsion was dramatically advanced by the analytical solutions of Theodorsen, von Kármán, Wu and others. While these classical solutions apply only to isolated swimmers, the flow interactions between multiple swimmers are relevant to many practical applications, including the schooling and flocking of animal collectives. In this work, we derive a class of solutions that describe the hydrodynamic interactions between an arbitrary number of swimmers in a two-dimensional inviscid fluid. Our approach is rooted in multiply-connected complex analysis and exploits several recent results. Specifically, the transcendental (Schottky–Klein) prime function serves as the basic building block to construct the appropriate conformal maps and leading-edge-suction functions, which allows us to solve the modified Schwarz problem that arises. As such, our solutions generalize classical thin aerofoil theory, specifically Wu's waving-plate analysis, to the case of multiple swimmers. For the case of a pair of interacting swimmers, we develop an efficient numerical implementation that allows rapid computations of the forces on each swimmer. We investigate flow-mediated equilibria and find excellent agreement between our new solutions and previously reported experimental results. Our solutions recover and unify disparate results in the literature, thereby opening the door for future studies into the interactions between multiple swimmers.
Identifier
85164502562 (Scopus)
Publication Title
Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics
External Full Text Location
https://doi.org/10.1002/cpa.22113
e-ISSN
10970312
ISSN
00103640
First Page
3811
Last Page
3851
Issue
12
Volume
76
Grant
DMS‐2012560
Fund Ref
National Science Foundation
Recommended Citation
Baddoo, Peter J.; Moore, Nicholas J.; Oza, Anand U.; and Crowdy, Darren G., "Generalization of waving-plate theory to multiple interacting swimmers" (2023). Faculty Publications. 1268.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/fac_pubs/1268