Utilization of nonlinear vibrations of soft pipe conveying fluid for driving underwater bio-inspired robot

Abstract Creatures with longer bodies in nature like snakes and eels moving water commonly generate a large swaying of their or tails, the purpose producing significant frictions collisions between body fluid to provide power consecutive forward force. This can be idealized by considering oscillations soft beam immersed when waves vibration travel down at constant speed. The present study employs kind deformations induced nonlinear vibrations pipe conveying design an underwater bio-inspired snake robot that consists rigid head tail. When is fixed, experiments show second mode tail occurs as internal flow velocity beyond critical value. Then corresponding theoretical model based on absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) established describe As free, modeling combined computational dynamics (CFD) analysis construct fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation model. swimming speed shape are obtained through FSI They good agreement experimental results. Most importantly, it demonstrated propulsion improved 21% for compared without pure jet mode. research provides new thought driving devices using flow-induced vibrations.