Passive wake differentiation by seal vibrissae in response to independently oscillating upstream objects.

IF 3 3区计算机科学 Q1 ENGINEERING, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics Pub Date : 2025-09-19 DOI:10.1088/1748-3190/ae0546

Sarah Dulac, Hamed Samandari, Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Harbor seals possess a remarkable ability to detect hydrodynamic footprints left by moving objects, even long after the objects have passed, through interactions between wake flows and their uniquely shaped whiskers. While the flow-induced vibration of harbor seal whisker models has been extensively studied, their response to unsteady wakes generated by upstream moving bodies remains poorly understood. This study investigates the wake-induced vibration (WIV) of a flexibly mounted harbor seal-inspired whisker positioned downstream of a forced-oscillating circular cylinder, simulating the hydrodynamic footprint of a moving object. Unlike conventional WIV studies, where the upstream wake is passively formed behind a stationary body and governed solely by its geometry and flow speed, the upstream cylinder in this work undergoes prescribed oscillations. This approach enables independent control over the wake characteristics-such as wake width and shedding frequency-decoupling them from the physical attributes of the upstream source and allowing a more direct assessment of the whisker's sensing response to dynamic wake conditions. Experiments were conducted across a range of reduced velocities (U∗= 3.4-25) and Reynolds numbers (Re= 500-2700), with upstream oscillation frequencies varied from 0.5 to 2 times the natural frequency of the whisker. Volumetric particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) was used to characterize the flow field, complemented byQ-criterion and proper orthogonal decomposition analyses. Results show that while the whisker suppresses its own vortex-induced vibration in open flow, it oscillates strongly at the frequency of the upstream forcing when exposed to wake disturbances, demonstrating its capability to detect and respond to hydrodynamic trails of moving objects. These findings highlight the potential of harbor seal whisker-inspired designs for biomimetic underwater sensing and navigation systems.

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海豹触须响应上游独立振荡物体的被动尾流分化。

斑海豹拥有一种非凡的能力，可以通过尾流和它们独特形状的胡须之间的相互作用，探测到移动物体留下的水动力足迹，即使在物体经过很久之后。虽然海豹须模型的流激振动（FIV）已经得到了广泛的研究，但它们对上游运动体产生的非定常尾迹的响应仍然知之甚少。本研究研究了位于强制振荡圆柱体下游的柔性安装的港口密封晶须的尾迹诱导振动（WIV），模拟了运动物体的水动力足迹。与传统的WIV研究不同，在传统的WIV研究中，上游尾迹被动地在静止体后面形成，并仅受其几何形状和流速的控制，而在这项工作中，上游圆柱体经历了规定的振荡。这种方法可以独立控制尾流特性，如尾流宽度和脱落频率，将它们与上游源的物理属性解耦，并允许更直接地评估须对动态尾流条件的感知响应。实验在降低速度（$U^* = 3.4$-$25$）和雷诺数（$Re = 500$-$2700$）范围内进行，上游振荡频率为晶须固有频率的0.5至2倍。采用体积粒子跟踪测速法（PTV）对流场进行了表征，并辅以Q准则和适当的正交分解分析。结果表明，虽然须须在开放流中抑制其自身的涡激振动（VIV），但当暴露于尾流扰动时，须须以上游强迫的频率强烈振荡，表明其能够检测和响应运动物体的流体动力轨迹。这些发现突出了海豹须为仿生水下传感和导航系统设计的潜力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics 工程技术-材料科学：生物材料

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

14.70%

发文量

132

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Bioinspiration & Biomimetics publishes research involving the study and distillation of principles and functions found in biological systems that have been developed through evolution, and application of this knowledge to produce novel and exciting basic technologies and new approaches to solving scientific problems. It provides a forum for interdisciplinary research which acts as a pipeline, facilitating the two-way flow of ideas and understanding between the extensive bodies of knowledge of the different disciplines. It has two principal aims: to draw on biology to enrich engineering and to draw from engineering to enrich biology. The journal aims to include input from across all intersecting areas of both fields. In biology, this would include work in all fields from physiology to ecology, with either zoological or botanical focus. In engineering, this would include both design and practical application of biomimetic or bioinspired devices and systems. Typical areas of interest include: Systems, designs and structure Communication and navigation Cooperative behaviour Self-organizing biological systems Self-healing and self-assembly Aerial locomotion and aerospace applications of biomimetics Biomorphic surface and subsurface systems Marine dynamics: swimming and underwater dynamics Applications of novel materials Biomechanics; including movement, locomotion, fluidics Cellular behaviour Sensors and senses Biomimetic or bioinformed approaches to geological exploration.