Undulating Seal Whiskers Evolved Optimal Wavelength-to-Diameter Ratio for Efficient Reduction in Vortex-Induced Vibrations.

ABSTRACT: Seals are well-known for their remarkable hydrodynamic trail-following capabilities made possible by undulating flow-sensing whiskers that enable the seals to detect fish swimming as far as 180 m away. In this work, the form-function relationship in the undulating whiskers of two different phocid seal species, viz. harbor and gray seals, is studied. The geometry and material properties of excised harbor and grey seal whiskers are systematically characterized using blue light 3D scanning, optical and scanning electron microscopy, and nanoindentation. The effect of the undulating geometry on the whiskers' vibration in uniform water flow is studied using both experimental (piezoelectric MEMS and 3D-printed piezoresistive sensors developed in-house) and numerical (finite element method) techni

SUBMITTER: Kamat AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10787063 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature