Study of sweep angle effect on thrust generation of oscillatory pectoral fins

Manta ray's pectoral fins have been a great source of inspiration for propulsive mechanism of autonomous underwater vehicles, due to their propulsive capability. The geometry (shape) and flexibility factors of these fins have been hypothesized to be determinants of the propulsive capability of the fins in terms of thrust generation. In particular, the sweep angle factor has been omitted from previous studies, where it has been commonly set to about 30 degrees. This paper investigates the effects of sweep angle on thrust generation of oscillatory pectoral fins. Forty different fins were designed and fabricated to be experimented in a water channel, which involved measurement of thrust generated by the fins. The experiment was conducted under free stream (0.5 m/s) and still water conditions. Five different sweep angles (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 degrees) were incorporated into eight base designs of different flexibility characteristics to make up the 40 fins. To consider only sweep angle, other geometrical factors were not varied. Within the range of the sweep angle considered, the experimental results showed that sweep angle has no significant influence on the fins' thrust generation, under both free stream and still water conditions. Overall, it can be concluded that sweep angle may not be a determinant of oscillatory pectoral fins' thrust generation.