The complex undulated geometry of seal whiskers has been shown to substantially modify the turbulent structures directly downstream, resulting in a reduction of hydrodynamic forces as well as modified vortex-induced-vibration response when compared with smooth whiskers. Although the unique hydrodynamic response has been well documented, an understanding of the fluid flow effects from each geometric feature remains incomplete. In this computational investigation, nondimensional geometric parameters of the seal whisker morphology are defined in terms of their hydrodynamic relevance, such that wavelength, aspect ratio, undulation amplitudes, symmetry and undulation off-set can be varied independently of one another. A two-factor fractional factorial design of experiments procedure is used to create 16 unique geometries, each of which dramatically amplifies or attenuates the geometric parameters compared with the baseline model. The flow over each unique topography is computed with a large-eddy simulation at a Reynolds number of 500 with respect to the mean whisker thickness and the effects on force and frequency are recorded. The results determine the specific fluid flow impact of each geometric feature which will inform both biologists and engineers who seek to understand the impact of whisker morphology or lay out a framework for biomimetic design of undulated structures.

中文翻译：

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密封胡须上的流动：几何特征对于力和频率响应的重要性

密封须晶的复杂起伏的几何形状已显示出直接修饰下游的湍流结构，与光滑须晶相比，导致流体动力减小，涡流诱发的振动响应减小。尽管独特的流体动力响应已经得到了很好的记录，但对每个几何特征的流体流动影响的理解仍然不完整。在这项计算研究中，根据密封圈晶须的流体力学相关性定义了无量纲的几何参数，因此波长，长宽比，起伏幅度，对称性和起伏偏移可以彼此独立地变化。实验程序的两因素分数阶乘设计用于创建16个独特的几何形状，与基线模型相比，每一个都极大地放大或减弱了几何参数。相对于平均晶须厚度，通过雷诺数为500的大涡模拟计算每个独特形貌上的流量，并记录对力和频率的影响。结果确定了每个几何特征的特定流体流动影响，这将为寻求了解晶须形态学影响或为起伏结构的仿生设计框架奠定基础的生物学家和工程师提供信息。