Analysis of Flying and Swimming in Nature Using an Immersed Boundary Method

he last decade has seen a tremendous rise in the popularity of immersed boundary methods [1-6] . The primary factor driving this is the relative ease with which this methodology allows researchers to develop computational models of flows with complex geometries and/or moving boundaries. Immersed boundary solvers have been employed successfully for simulating biological flows, physiological flows, flow-induced vibration and complex turbulent flows. The key feature of the immersed boundary method is that simulations with complex boundaries can be carried out on stationary, non-body conformal Cartesian grids. This approach eliminates the need for complicated re-meshing algorithms that are usually employed with conventional Lagrangian body-conformal methods. These methods provide a unique capability for simulating flows with complex moving boundaries and as such, are ideally suited for simulation of flows associated with biological locomotion.