Abstract
While hunting for prey in dark and turbid water the harbor seals use their mystacial vibrissae to follow the hydrodynamic trails left by prey fish. Sensing the minute velocity fluctuations in the trail is a challenge. In our research study we will answer the questions how mean and oscillating drag and lift forces are affected by the special body shape of the vibrissa and how the vortex structure in the wake is formed by a vibrissa to suppress self induced vibrations from the wake. For this purpose the wake flow of a harbor seal vibrissa was investigated by Stereo-Micro-PIV and with a detailed 3D direct numerical simulation. Using the proper orthogonal decomposition the most energetic structures of the wake flow could be extracted and evaluated.
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Witte, M. et al. (2012). On the Wake Flow Dynamics behind Harbor Seal Vibrissae – A Fluid Mechanical Explanation for an Extraordinary Capability. In: Tropea, C., Bleckmann, H. (eds) Nature-Inspired Fluid Mechanics. Notes on Numerical Fluid Mechanics and Multidisciplinary Design, vol 119. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28302-4_17
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