Effect of artificial caudal fin on performance of a biomimetic fish robot actuated by piezoelectric actuators

摘要

This paper addresses design of a biomimetic fish robot actuated by LIPCAs(LIghtweight Piezo-Composite Actuators)and effect of artificial caudal fins on the robot’s performance.The small actuation bending displacement produced by the LIPCAs was amplified and transformed into a large tail beat motion.Caudal fins mimicking shape of mackerel fin were made in order to examine effect of caudal fin characteristics on thrust production at an operating frequency range.The thickness distribution of the real mackerel’s fin was measured and used for designing artificial caudal fins.Thrust performance of the biomimetic fish robot propelled by various fins was examined by calculating Strouhal number,Froude number,Reynolds number,and power consumption.For the same the fin area and aspect ratio,the artificial caudal fin with distributed thickness showed the best forward speed and less power consumption.