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Cited by 994Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanismsFluid Dynamics and Vibration AnalysisFluid dynamics and aerodynamics studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 42 of the 42 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Flying and swimming animals cruise at a Strouhal number tuned for high power efficiency

Taylor, Graham K., Nudds, Robert L., Thomas, Adrian L. R.·2003·Nature
DOI 10.1038/nature02000
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Abstract

Dimensionless numbers are important in biomechanics because their constancy can imply dynamic similarity between systems, despite possible differences in medium or scale. A dimensionless parameter that describes the tail or wing kinematics of swimming and flying animals is the Strouhal number, St = fA/U, which divides stroke frequency (f) and amplitude (A) by forward speed (U). St is known to govern a well-defined series of vortex growth and shedding regimes for airfoils undergoing pitching and heaving motions. Propulsive efficiency is high over a narrow range of St and usually peaks within the interval 0.2 < St < 0.4 (refs 3-8). Because natural selection is likely to tune animals for high propulsive efficiency, we expect it to constrain the range of St that animals use. This seems to be true for dolphins, sharks and bony fish, which swim at 0.2 < St < 0.4. Here we show that birds, bats and insects also converge on the same narrow range of St, but only when cruising. Tuning cruise kinematics to optimize St therefore seems to be a general principle of oscillatory lift-based propulsion.

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Metadata

Authors
Taylor, G. K., Nudds, R. L., & Thomas, A. L. R.
Affiliations
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • University of Leeds (GB)
Corresponding author
Taylor, Graham K.
ORCID
Venue
Nature
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2003-10
Volume
425
Issue
6959
Pages
707-711
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/nature02000
OpenAlex
W2003172346
Cited by
994
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 53 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 71 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 70 · 2020: 69 · 2019: 50 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 56 · 2016: 55 · 2015: 51 · 2014: 43 · 2013: 44 · 2012: 32
FWCI
40.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Computational Mechanics › Fluid Dynamics and Vibration Analysis
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Computational Mechanics › Fluid dynamics and aerodynamics studies
Keywords
Strouhal number, propulsive efficiency, vortex shedding, birds, bats, insects, flying animals, dynamic similarity, natural selection
MeSH terms
Animals, Biomechanical Phenomena, Birds, Chiroptera, Flight, Animal, Insecta, Models, Biological, Monte Carlo Method, Swimming, Wings, Animal

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