Synthetic Jet Propulsion for Small Underwater Vehicles

摘要

This paper proposes a new synthetic jet actuationudconcept for small, low speed, highly maneuverable AUVs.udSynthetic jet thrusters, which produce jets of vortex rings,udare inspired by the pulsatile jet propulsion of salps, jellyfish, and squid. To assess the potential utility of this scheme, we developed synthetic jet actuator prototypes, and verified their function via both force measurement and flow visualization experiments. We used a genetic-algorithm based technique for optimizing the actuation profile of the thrusters. Also presented is an initial discussion of vehicle design. Our conclusionudis that synthetic jet thrusters are a viable propulsion method for small underwater vehicles.