Daniel Floryan, PHD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Hydromechanics and optimization of fast and efficient swimming

This talk will focus on the mechanics of locomotion through a fluid 
medium characterized by propulsors (fins and wings) with a large aspect 
ratio and a large Reynolds number. The subject so delimited is of 
particular interest because on the order of 100 million years of animal 
evolution have led to fast and efficient animals converging upon such 
features. Idealized models of propulsors are studied in order to distill 
the essential physics responsible for fast and efficient locomotion, 
rather than the idiosyncrasies of any particular animal. In particular, 
we have identified the basic scaling that describes the thrust, power, 
and efficiency under various kinematics, as well as how passive 
elasticity fundamentally changes the problem. Our results plausibly 
explain the narrow operating conditions observed in dolphins, sharks, 
bony fish, birds, bats, and insects.

Daniel Floryan is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his doctoral degree from Princeton University in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 2019, and undergraduate degrees from Cornell University in Mechanical Engineering and Economics in 2014. His research interests are in animal locomotion and dynamical views of wall-bounded turbulence.