In a seminal paper published in 1951, Taylor studied the interactions between a viscous fluid and an immersed flat sheet which is subjected to a travelling wave of transversal displacement. The net reaction of the fluid over the sheet turned out to be a force in the direction of the wave phase-speed. This effect is a key mechanism for the swimming of micro-organisms in viscous fluids. Here, we study the interaction between a viscous fluid and a special class of nonlinear morphing shells. We consider pre-stressed shells showing a one-dimensional set of neutrally stable equilibria with almost cylindrical configurations. Their shape can be effectively controlled through embedded active materials, generating a large-amplitude shape-wave associated with precession of the axis of maximal curvature. We show that this shape-wave constitutes the rotational analogue of a Taylor's sheet, where the translational swimming velocity is replaced by an angular velocity. Despite the net force acting on the shell vanishes, the resultant torque does not. A similar mechanism can be used to manoeuver in viscous fluids.

A neutrally stable shell in a Stokes flow: a rotational Taylor's sheet / Corsi, G.; De Simone, A.; Maurini, C.; Vidoli, S.. - In: PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. SERIES A. - ISSN 1364-5021. - 475:2227(2019), pp. 1-17. [10.1098/rspa.2019.0178]

A neutrally stable shell in a Stokes flow: a rotational Taylor's sheet

Corsi, G.;De Simone, A.;Maurini, C.;
2019-01-01

Abstract

In a seminal paper published in 1951, Taylor studied the interactions between a viscous fluid and an immersed flat sheet which is subjected to a travelling wave of transversal displacement. The net reaction of the fluid over the sheet turned out to be a force in the direction of the wave phase-speed. This effect is a key mechanism for the swimming of micro-organisms in viscous fluids. Here, we study the interaction between a viscous fluid and a special class of nonlinear morphing shells. We consider pre-stressed shells showing a one-dimensional set of neutrally stable equilibria with almost cylindrical configurations. Their shape can be effectively controlled through embedded active materials, generating a large-amplitude shape-wave associated with precession of the axis of maximal curvature. We show that this shape-wave constitutes the rotational analogue of a Taylor's sheet, where the translational swimming velocity is replaced by an angular velocity. Despite the net force acting on the shell vanishes, the resultant torque does not. A similar mechanism can be used to manoeuver in viscous fluids.
2019
475
2227
1
17
20190178
10.1098/rspa.2019.0178
Corsi, G.; De Simone, A.; Maurini, C.; Vidoli, S.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11767/124859
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