Nature Inspired Fluid Mechanics

This book is the closing report of the national priority program Nature-Inspired Fluid Mechanics (Schwerpunktprogramm SPP 1207: Strömungsbeeinflussung in der Natur und Technik). Nature-inspired fluid mechanics is one subset of biomimetics, a discipline which has received increased attention over the last decade, with numerous faculties and degree courses devoted solely to exploring ‘nature as a model’ for engineering applications. To save locomotion energy, evolution has optimized the design of animals such that friction loss is minimized. In addition to many morphological adaptations, animals that are often exposed to water or air currents have developed special behaviors that allow them to use the energy contained in air or water fluctuations for energy savings. Such flow manipulation and control is not only important for many animals, but also for many engineering applications. Since living beings have been optimized by several million years of evolution it is very likely that many engineering disciplines can profit from the study of systems found in nature. Curiously, there has been little serious cross-disciplinary work and information exchange on the topic of fluid dynamics and flow control and this was the initial motivation to establish this national priority program.

Do we have an adequate understanding of fluid dynamics phenomena in nature and evolution, and what physical models do we need? What can we learn from nature to stimulate innovations in thinking as well as in engineering applications? Concentrating on flight and propulsion, this unique and accessible book compares fluid dynamics solutions in nature with those in engineering. The respected international contributors present up-to-date research in an easy to understand manner, giving common viewpoints from fields such as zoology, engineering, biology, fluid mechanics and physics. This transdisciplinary approach eliminates barriers and opens wider perspectives to both of the challenging questions above. Contents: Applications in Engineering and Medicine; Inspiration from Nature; Steady and Unsteady Fluid Dynamics; Specific Numerical and Experimental Methods

Do we have an adequate understanding of fluid dynamics phenomena in nature and evolution, and what physical models do we need? What can we learn from nature to stimulate innovations in thinking as well as in engineering applications? Concentrating on flight and propulsion, this unique and accessible book compares fluid dynamics solutions in nature with those in engineering. The respected international contributors present up-to-date research in an easy to understand manner, giving common viewpoints from fields such as zoology, engineering, biology, fluid mechanics and physics. Contents: Introduction to Fluid Dynamics; Swimming and Flying in Nature; Generation of Forces in Fluids - Current Understanding; The Finite, Natural Vortex in Steady and Unsteady Fluid Dynamics - New Modelling; Applications in Engineering with Inspirations From Nature; Modern Experimental and Numerical Methods in Fluid Dynamics.

This text provides the reader with tools necessary to study biological and bio-inspired flows, all the while developing an appreciation for their evolutionary and engineering constraints. It is suitable for students already exposed to introductory concepts in fluid mechanics and applied mechanics as a whole, but who would not need an advanced training in fluid mechanics per se. Currently no textbook exists that can take students from an introductory position in fluid mechanics to these contemporary topics of interest. The book is ideal for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students studying a range of engineering domains as well as biology, or even medicine.

Thermofluids: From Nature to Engineering presents the fundamentals of thermofluids in an accessible and student-friendly way. Author David Ting applies his 23 years of teaching to this practical reference which works to clarify phenomena, concepts and processes via nature-inspired examples, giving the readers a well-rounded understanding of the topic. It introduces the fundamentals of thermodynamics, heat transfer and fluid mechanics which underpin most engineering systems, providing the reader with a solid basis to transfer and apply to other engineering disciplines. With a strong focus on ecology and sustainability, this book will benefit students in various engineering disciplines including thermal energy, mechanical and chemical, and will also appeal to those coming to the topic from another discipline. Presents abstract and complex concepts in a tangible, accessible way Promotes the future of thermofluid systems with a focus on sustainability Guides the reader through the fundamentals of thermofluids which is essential for further study.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Bio-Inspired Computing: Theories and Applications, BIC-TA 2022, held in Wuhan, China, during December 16–18, 2022. The 56 full papers included in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 148 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: evolutionary computation and swarm intelligence; machine learning and deep learning; intelligent control and simulation and molecular computing and nanotechnology.

This book presents contributions to the 18th biannual symposium of the German Aerospace Aerodynamics Association (STAB). The individual chapters reflect ongoing research conducted by the STAB members in the field of numerical and experimental fluid mechanics and aerodynamics, mainly for (but not limited to) aerospace applications, and cover both nationally and EC-funded projects. By addressing a number of essential research subjects, together with their related physical and mathematics fundamentals, the book provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the current research work in the field, as well as its main challenges and new directions. Current work on e.g. high aspect-ratio and low aspect-ratio wings, bluff bodies, laminar flow control and transition, active flow control, hypersonic flows, aeroelasticity, aeroacoustics and biofluid mechanics is exhaustively discussed here.

This volume contains the contributions to the 17th Symposium of STAB (German Aerospace Aerodynamics Association). STAB includes German scientists and engineers from universities, research establishments and industry doing research and project work in numerical and experimental fluid mechanics and aerodynamics, mainly for aerospace but also for other applications. Many of the contributions collected in this book present results from national and European Community sponsored projects. This volume gives a broad overview of the ongoing work in this field in Germany and spans a wide range of topics: airplane aerodynamics, multidisciplinary optimization and new configurations, hypersonic flows and aerothermodynamics, flow control (drag reduction and laminar flow control), rotorcraft aerodynamics, aeroelasticity and structural dynamics, numerical simulation, experimental simulation and test techniques, aeroacoustics as well as the new fields of biomedical flows, convective flows, aerodynamics and acoustics of high-speed trains.