A biomimetic jellyfish-inspired jet propulsion system using an iris mechanism

Kenneth Marut, Colin Stewart, Alex Villanueva, Dragan Avirovik, Shashank Priya

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

A bio-inspired jet propulsion mechanism was designed and developed for development of proficient unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs). The propulsion mechanism mimics that of the Sarsia sp. jellyfish which measures approximately 1 cm in diameter. In order to achieve a biomimetic uniform bell contraction, an electrical motor was used in conjunction with a novel circumferential actuator based upon a mechanical iris diaphragm. This mechanism allows actuation of a deformable cavity. The current prototype was scaled to a diameter 10 times larger than Sarsia measuring 10 cm in diameter. The performance of the propulsion mechanism was analyzed both experimentally theoretically. The prototype was mounted on a test stand which allowed for measurement of thrust and power consumption. Analytical and experimental results were compared to that of the performance of Sarsia. It was found that the overall mechanism created a maximum thrust of 5.1 N with a calculated vehicle efficiency of 0.17% and proficiency of 4.8 s-1.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationASME 2012 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems, SMASIS 2012
Pages601-609
Number of pages9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012
EventASME 2012 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems, SMASIS 2012 - Stone Mountain, GA, United States
Duration: Sep 19 2012Sep 21 2012

Publication series

NameASME 2012 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems, SMASIS 2012
Volume2

Other

OtherASME 2012 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems, SMASIS 2012
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityStone Mountain, GA
Period9/19/129/21/12

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Mechanics of Materials

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