Modeling and Simulation of Fish-Like Swimming in a Straight-Line Swimming State Using Immersed Boundary Method

Abstract

A self-propelled swimming fish model is established, which can reflect the interaction between fish movement, internal force generated by muscle contraction, and the external force provided by fluid. Using finite element immersed boundary method combined with traditional feedback force method, the self-propelled swimming fish is numerically simulated. Firstly, a self-induced vibration of a cantilever beam immersed in a fluid is one of the benchmarks of fluid-structure interaction, which is used to verify the validity of the numerical method. Secondly, start and cruise process of a single swimming fish in a straight-line swimming state is simulated and analysis of the flow characteristics and fish body movement features is done. The results reveal that the fish gain energy from flow field by the conversion of “C” type and “S” type of fish body.