Hydrodynamic Characteristics of a Mechanical Pectoral Fin

Abstract

This paper describes the use of a mechanical pectoral fin as a new device for maneuvering and stabilizing an underwater vehicle. The mechanical pectoral fin consists of two servo-motors generating a feathering motion and a rowing motion. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the device were analyzed experimentally and theoretically. The mechanical pectoral fin generates a thrust force in a range of phase differences between both motions. The unsteady vortex-lattice method, which takes into account the effects of viscosity, reasonably expresses the unsteady forces acting on the mechanical pectoral fin.