Study on Determining the Number of Fin-Rays of a Gymnotiform Undulating Fin Robot

Abstract

This paper focuses on calculating the optimal number of fin-rays in one wavelength. First, the mathematical model for the problem is derived. Then the experiments is conducted on a simulation model of the featherback’s continuous fin, followed by the discretization within one wavelength for feasibility in mechanical design. The results in both computation and experiment suggest that the optimal thrust is achieved with 16 fin-rays in one wavelength. This research seeks to contribute to the aim of boosting the propulsive efficiency of the gymnotiform-inspired biomimetic robot.