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Hydrodynamics of a swimming batoid fish at Reynolds numbers up to 148 000

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2023

Dong Zhang Open the ORCID record for Dong Zhang [Opens in a new window]  and
Wei-Xi Huang Open the ORCID record for Wei-Xi Huang [Opens in a new window]
Dong Zhang
Affiliation:
AML, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China Qingdao Innovation and Development Base, Harbin Engineering University, Qingdao 266000, PR China
Wei-Xi Huang*
Affiliation:
AML, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
*
†Email address for correspondence: hwx@tsinghua.edu.cn
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Abstract

Flow around a tethered model of a swimming batoid fish is studied by using the wall-modelled large-eddy simulation in conjunction with the immersed boundary method. A Reynolds number ($Re$) up to 148 000 is chosen, and it is comparable to that of a medium-sized aquatic animal in cruising swimming state. At such a high $Re$, we provide, to the best of our knowledge, the first evidence of hairpin vortical (HV) structures near the body surface using three-dimensional high-fidelity flow field data. It is observed that such small-scale vortical structures are mainly formed through two mechanisms: the leading-edge vortex (LEV)–secondary filament–HV and LEV–HV transformations in different regions. The HVs create strong fluctuations in the pressure distribution and frequency spectrum. Simulations are also conducted at $Re=1480$ and 14 800 to reveal the effect of Reynolds number. Variations of the flow separation behaviour and local pressure with $Re$ are presented. Our results indicate that low-$Re$ simulations are meaningful when the focus is on the force variation tendency, whereas high-$Re$ simulations are needed when concerning flow fluctuations and turbulence mechanisms.

JFM classification

Biological Fluid Dynamics: Swimming/flying Biological Fluid Dynamics: Propulsion Vortex Flows: Vortex dynamics

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JFM Papers
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Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 963 , 25 May 2023 , A16
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© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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