Promoter: Sam Van Wassenbergh
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Co-promoter: Leonard Dewaele
Subject: Shark pectoral fin morphology varies with ecological niche. Pelagic species typically possess sickle-shaped fins with a high aspect ratio, whereas benthic species tend to have more paddle-shaped fins with a low aspect ratio. Previous hydrodynamic analyses compared the pectoral fins of the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), a pelagic species, and the leopard catshark (Poroderma pantherinum), a benthic species, revealing relatively small differences in lift and lift-to-drag ratio across angles of attack. However, these assessments did not account for the proximity of the substrate, which can alter the hydrodynamic performance of a fin through ground effects. In this individual project, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations will be used to investigate how proximity to a substrate affects the lift and drag of these two contrasting pectoral fin morphologies. The results will reveal whether ground effects differ between pelagic and benthic shark fin ecomorphs and help assess their potential functional significance.
Techniques: 3D geometry processing and computational mesh generation, Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using ANSYS Workbench and ANSYS Fluent software, Hydrodynamic force analysis and flow pattern evaluation.
Capacity for 2 students