Listen to this PodcastMore 60-Second Science
-
The Best Science Writing Online 2012
Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
Read More »
[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]
Whales and dolphins were molded by evolution to glide through water. We’ve been trying to create streamlined designs ourselves for structures such as wind turbine blades. Now researchers are examining the flippers, fins and tails of our water-dwelling cousins to learn how to improve engineering designs. Dr. Frank Fish—yes, that’s really his name—from West Chester University in Pennsylvania presented this research July 8 at the Society for Experimental Biology’s annual meeting in Marseille.
Here’s one example of the way Dr. Fish’s research is being applied. Whale flippers have a bumpy edge. This makes little sense to engineers. They’ve designed structures like wings and blades that ensure a steady air flow. But it turns out the unsteady flow over this more complex shape increased lift and reduces drag much better than any previous manmade design. It has to do with something called vortices. These are small tornado-shaped water formations in an animal’s wake. The bumps on a whale’s flipper help form vortices that generate more lift, more smoothly. Engineers are using this insight to design an entirely new wind turbine blade—so that we can generate power from wind as efficiently as whales and dolphins fly through the water.
—Cynthia Graber
60-Second Science is a daily podcast. Subscribe to this Podcast: RSS | iTunes
See what we're tweeting about
6 Comments
Add CommentThis is not really new, swimming/diving suits have been engineered with little bumps on them precisely inspired by dolphins... I think the bumps only appeared at certain speeds.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLook into Viktor Schauberger and tell me people have not been aware of the hidden power of the vortex.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis has already been investigated and patterned in the US for aircraft wings, bit late. Believe he notest a model of a whale fluke and thought the sculpture had made a mistake with the bumps on the leading edge. When told no it was correct he went and looked into it and found that little triangles sticking out of the leading edge at high angles of attack generated vortacies that kept the flow attached to the surface so generating high lift. Only one species of whales have this and they need the lift for hunting squid at depth.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthere is a co. in canada named whalepower that already manufactures turbine blades with bumps on the leading edge of the foils to increase lift and adhesion by way of vortices based on dr fish's observance of the flippers of humpback whales. this design will not only increase efficiency in wind turbines, but also in hydro turbines, steam turbines, pumps, fans, and anything else that relies on the efficient use of foils.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthere is a co. in canada named whalepower that already manufactures turbine blades with bumps on the leading edge of the foils to increase lift and adhesion by way of vortices based on dr fish's observance of the flippers of humpback whales. this design will not only increase efficiency in wind turbines, but also in hydro turbines, steam turbines, pumps, fans, and anything else that relies on the efficient use of foils.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthere is a co. in canada named whalepower that already manufactures turbine blades with bumps on the leading edge of the foils to increase lift and adhesion by way of vortices based on dr fish's observance of the flippers of humpback whales. this design will not only increase efficiency in wind turbines, but also in hydro turbines, steam turbines, pumps, fans, and anything else that relies on the efficient use of foils.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this