Abstract
This talk will focus on the mechanics of locomotion through a fluid medium characterized by propulsors (fins and wings) with a large aspect ratio and a large Reynolds number. The subject so delimited is of particular interest because roughly 400 million years of animal evolution have led to fast and efficient animals converging upon such features. Idealized models of propulsors are studied in order to distill the essential physics responsible for fast and efficient locomotion, rather than the idiosyncrasies of any particular animal. In particular, we have identified the basic scaling that describes the thrust, power, and efficiency under various kinematics, as well as how passive elasticity fundamentally changes the problem. Our results plausibly explain the narrow operating conditions observed in dolphins, sharks, bony fish, birds, bats, and insects.
About the Speaker
Daniel Floryan is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working with Mike Graham. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 2019, where he was advised by Clancy Rowley and Lex Smits, and undergraduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from Cornell University in 2014. For his work on bioinspired propulsion, Daniel was awarded the Porter Ogden Jacobus Fellowship.
