Fig 1.
Manta ray biomimetic glider model with a NURBS surface and its computational parameters.
Fig 2.
Division of computational domain and grids (upper: Computational domain division based on MBZMU method; lower: Triangular grids on the surface of model).
Fig 3.
Instantaneous dynamic grids on the symmetry plane.
Fig 4.
Ejection-gliding experimental device.
Fig 5.
Captured image sequences of ejection-gliding experiments.
Fig 6.
Comparison between hydrostatic free-fall experimental observation and numerical simulation (left: Glider’s displacement; right: The rotation angle θ).
Table 1.
Two fundamental categories of computational cases with different initial gliding velocities or attack angles.
Fig 7.
Schematic of cases with different offset forward distances of CoM.
Table 2.
The initial conditions of cases with different offset forward distances of CoM.
Fig 8.
Comparison of trajectory and attitude of model under different initial gliding velocities.
Fig 9.
Comparison of trajectory and attitude of the glider under different initial attack angles.
Fig 10.
Projections of pressure drag and viscous drag components on the inertial axis to the tangent vector and the normal inner inner normal vector of the trajectory, respectively.
Fig 11.
Lift and drag on the trajectory of model under different initial gliding velocities.
Fig 12.
Lift and drag on trajectory of model under different initial attack angles.
Fig 13.
Trajectory and attitude of the cases with different CoM positions.
Fig 14.
The gliding performance of the glider with different initial attack angles.
Fig 15.
Instantaneous pressure distribution on section y = 0 and the surface of the glider under different initial gliding velocities (left: Back view; right: Abdominal view).
Fig 16.
The instantaneous velocity contour and projected vector of the three sections under different initial gliding velocities.
Fig 17.
Instantaneous pressure distribution on section y = 0 and the surface of the glider under different initial attack angles (left: Back view; right: Abdominal view).
Fig 18.
3D instantaneous vortex structures versus time under different initial gliding velocities.
(Iso-surface of the swirling strength W = 0.004).