Undulatory swimming in fluids with polymer networks

Undulatory swimming in viscoelastic fluids.

The effects of fluid elasticity on the swimming behavior of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans are experimentally investigated by tracking the nematode's motion and measuring the corresponding velocity fields. We find that fluid elasticity hinders self-propulsion. Compared to Newtonian solutions, fluid elasticity leads to up to 35% slower propulsion. Furthermore, self-propulsion decreases as e...

Undulatory swimming in non-Newtonian fluids

We numerically investigate the effects of non-Newtonian fluid properties, including shear thinning and elasticity, on the locomotion of Taylor’s swimming sheet with arbitrary amplitude. Our results show that elasticity hinders the swimming speed, but a shear-thinning viscosity in the absence of elasticity enhances the speed. The combination of the two effects, modelled using a Giesekus constitu...

Undulatory swimming in shear-thinning fluids: Experiments with C. elegans

The swimming behaviour of microorganisms can be strongly influenced by the rhe­ ology of their fluid environment. In this manuscript, we experimentally investigate the effects of shear-thinning viscosity on the swimming behaviour of an undula­ tory swimmer, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Tracking methods are used to measure the swimmer’s kinematic data (including propulsion speed) and vel...

Undulatory and Flagellar Swimming

SYNOPSIS. We present a mathematical model and numerical method designed to study the fluid dynamics of swimming organisms. The full Navier-Stokes equations are solved in a domain of fluid within which an organism undergoing time-dependent motions is immersed. Of interest are both the dynamics of a single organism and the relationship of its morphology to its motility properties, as well as the ...

Undulatory Swimming vs Propeller Based Semester Project