Abstract
A numerical study of undulatory locomotion is presented. Unsteady hydrodynamics around an undulatory swimming body is solved using an integrated modeling method combining a 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method and a Computational Swimming Dynamics (CSD) method. A larva fish, zebrafish, Danio rerio, is modeled, which “swims” by sending a laterally compressed, sinusoidal wave down its body. Hydrodynamics of the three-dimensional larva fish model in terms of the burst, the continuous and the coast swimming modes were then analyzed and compared with conventional hydrodynamic theories, which provide a general understanding of the relationship between the dynamics of vortex flow and the jet-stream propulsion associated with the undulatory locomotion of vertebrates. As a result this analysis demonstrates a detailed picture of the structure of vortex wake behind a zebrafish larva and its correlation with force-generation.
