Optimal stroke patterns for Purcell's three-link swimmer.
Stroke patterns for Purcell's three-link swimmer are optimized. We model the swimmer as a jointed chain of three slender rods moving in an inertialess flow. The swimmer is optimized for efficiency and speed. We were able to attain swimmer designs significantly more efficient than those previously suggested by authors who only consider geometric design rather than kinematic criteria. The influence of slenderness on optimality is considered as well.
Tam
Daniel
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Hatsopoulos Microfluids Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Hosoi
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D005407:Flagella; D008124:Locomotion; D008954:Models, Biological; D013550:Swimming