INFLUENCE OF MATERIAL PARAMETERS ON THRUST CHARACTERISTICS AND PROPULSIVE EFFICIENCY IN A BIOMIMETIC UNDERWATER VEHICLE

Authors

  • Daniel Powarzyński Polish Naval Academy, ul. Śmidowicza 69, 81-127 Gdynia, Poland, Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2131-1660
  • Aleksander Cirocki Polish Naval Academy, ul. Śmidowicza 69, 81-127 Gdynia, Poland, Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
  • Paweł Grzyszczak Polish Naval Academy, ul. Śmidowicza 69, 81-127 Gdynia, Poland, Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
  • Hanna Ostrowska Polish Naval Academy, ul. Śmidowicza 69, 81-127 Gdynia, Poland, Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26408/139.03

Keywords:

biomimetic propulsion, autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), material analysis

Abstract

The article presents the results of an analysis of the influence of material properties on the thrust characteristics and the propulsive efficiency of a wave-based propulsion system in a biomimetic underwater vehicle. The design and implementation of the study were carried out considering the advantages resulting from the application of propulsion systems based on the generation of a traveling wave along flexible propulsive surfaces. The relationship between the applied materials and the resulting thrust force generated in the aquatic environment was examined. The construction is described of the tested vehicle, its geometric and functional parameters, as well as the developed laboratory test stand enabling the execution of measurements. The results made it possible to identify material parameters that contributed to an improvement in propulsion system efficiency and an extension of the operational endurance of the underwater unit. The obtained results constitute a significant step toward the design of more efficient and durable biomimetic propulsion systems.

References

Kula, S., & Çelebi, U. B. (2025) Technological transformation and future perspectives in autonomous maritime systems. Journal of Naval Architecture and Marine Technology, 227(1), 22-33. https://doi.org/10.54926/jnamt.2025.2412

Li, G., Liu, G., Leng, D., Fang, X., Li, G., & Wang, W. (2023). Underwater undulating propulsion biomimetic robots: A Review. Biomimetics, 8(3), 318. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8030318

Łarzewski, B., Hałas, J., Powarzyński, D., Lewandowski, J., & Piskur, P. (2022). Projekt i wykonanie bezzałogowego pojazdu podwodnego o napędzie hybrydowym – REBA. Pomiary Automatyka Robotyka, 4(4), 61-67. https://doi.org/10.14313/PAR_246/61

Piskur, P. (2022). Side fins performance in biomimetic unmanned underwater vehicle. Energies, 15(16), 5783. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15165783

Piskur, P., Szymak, P., Kitowski, Z., & Flis, L. (2020). Influence of fin’s material capabilities on the propulsion system of biomimetic underwater vehicle. Polish Maritime Research, 27(4), 179-185. https://doi.org/10.2478/pomr-2020-0078

Piskur, P., Szymak, P., Przybylski, M., Naus, K., Jaskólski, K., & Żokowski M. (2021). Innovative energy-saving propulsion system for low-speed biomimetic underwater vehicles. Energies, 14(24), 8418. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14248418

Piskur, P., Łarzewski, B., Kot, R., & Szymak, P. (2023). Design, modelling, and simulation of biomimetic underwater vehicle. In: Proceedings of the 37th ECMS International Conference on Modelling and Simulation, Florence, Italy, 20–23 June 2023. https://doi.org/10.7148/2023-0181

Powarzyński, D. (2025). Analiza sprawności energetycznej napędu dla biomimetycznego pojazdu podwodnego w funkcji algorytmów sterowania. Przegląd Elektrotechniczny, 11(11), 166-171. https://doi.org/10.15199/48.2025.11.23

Prajapati, S., Sharma, J. K., Kumar, S., Pandey, S., & Pandey, M. K. (2024). A Review on Comparison of Physical and Mechanical Properties of PLA, ABS, TPU, and PETG Manufactured Engineering Components by Using Fused Deposition Modelling. Materials Today: Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2024.05.018

Shao, H., Dong, B., Zheng, C., Li, T., Zuo, Q., Xu, Y., Fang, H., He, K., & Xie, F. (2022). Thrust improvement of a biomimetic robotic fish by using a deformable caudal fin. Biomimetics, 7(3), 113. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7030113

Szymak, P., Piskur, P., Kot, R., Naus, K., & Powarzyński, D. (2025). Biomimetic propulsion system efficiency for unmanned underwater vehicle. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 11086. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95702-7

Tangorra, J. L., Lauder, G. V., Hunter, I. W., Mittal, R., Madden, P. G. A., & Bozkurttas, M. (2010). The effect of fin ray flexural rigidity on the propulsive forces generated by a biorobotic fish pectoral fin. Journal of Experimental Biology, 213(23), 4043-4054. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.045146

Zhang, Z., Wang, Q., & Zhang, S. (2024). Review of computational fluid dynamics analysis in biomimetic applications for underwater vehicles. Biomimetics, 9(2), 79. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics9020079

Downloads

Published

2026-09-30

How to Cite

Powarzyński, D., Cirocki, A., Grzyszczak, P., & Ostrowska, H. (2026). INFLUENCE OF MATERIAL PARAMETERS ON THRUST CHARACTERISTICS AND PROPULSIVE EFFICIENCY IN A BIOMIMETIC UNDERWATER VEHICLE. Scientific Journal of Gdynia Maritime University, (139), 38–50. https://doi.org/10.26408/139.03

Issue

No. 139 (2026)

Section

Articles

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Daniel Powarzyński, Aleksander CIROCKI, Paweł GRZYSZCZAK , Hanna OSTROWSKA

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors retain the copyright to their work, licensing it under the Creative Commons Attribution License Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0) which allows articles to be re-used and re-distributed without restriction, as long as the original work is correctly cited. The author retains unlimited copyright and publishing rights.