Effect of Artificial Caudal Fin on Performance of a Biomimetic Fish Robot Actuated by Piezoelectric Actuators

인조 꼬리지느러미가 압전작동기 구동형 생체모사 물고기 로봇의 성능에 미치는 영향

This paper presents an experimental and parametric study of a biomimetic fish robot actuated by the Lightweight Piezo-composite Actuator(LIPCA). The biomimetic aspects in this work are the oscillating tail beat motion and shape of caudal fin. Caudal fins that resemble fins of BCF(Body and Caudal fin) mode fish were made in order to perform parametric study concerning the effect of caudal fin characteristics on thrust production at an operating frequency range. The observed caudal fin characteristics are the shape, area, and aspect ratio. It was found that a high aspect ratio caudal fin contributes to high swimming speed. The fish robot was propelled by artificial caudal fins shaped after thunniform-fish and mackerel caudal fins, which have relatively high aspect ratio, produced swimming speed as high as 2.364 cm/s and 2.519 cm/s, respectively, for 300 Vpp input voltage excited at 0.9 Hz. Thrust performance of the biomimetic fish robot was examined by Strouhal number, Froude number, Reynolds number, and Net forward force.