Hydrodynamic analysis of a gliding robotic dolphin based on Computational Fluid Dynamics

This paper presents a concrete and practical hydrodynamic analysis for a hybrid gliding robotic dolphin. In order to obtain the accurate hydrodynamic performance of both dolphin-like swimming and gliding motion, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method is employed. Specifically, based on the FlUENT dynamic mesh interface, a novel dynamic mesh and user-defined function (UDF) are developed to describe the dorsoventral oscillations of the dolphin. Besides, the corresponding turbulent model and SIMPLE algorithm suited to dolphin-like swimming are also meticulously selected for great accuracy and high quality. Finally, the FLUENT simulation results reveal the pressure distribution and velocity field distribution around the robotic dolphin. Moreover, some important hydrodynamic coefficients including lift coefficients and drag coefficients at different frequencies are also obtained. The simulation results illustrate an expected hydrodynamic performance of the gliding robotic dolphin.