Hi Alec. Yes, a very professional job on the web site.
As far as the efficiency of a tail versus a prop, the tail will win out if
the bugs get worked out of the design. It really does take less energy to swish
a tail than turn a prop, and props have inherent flaws like the
vortices created around and behind the prop. These can rob a lot of power as the
rotational speed increases.
Man kind uses props because our power is based on a
rotating machine, be it electric or gas. There are several examples of early
sailors using a back and forth motion to drive a boat, like the gondolas in
Venice. If it was more efficient to drive a prop, boats would come with hand or
foot cranks and gears. Fish would have evolved with propellers. It will be
interesting to see what develops in the future.
I would think that a back and forth action would have a slight
advantage over an up and down action, because of gravity, and most fish
have a vertical tail. I've often toyed with the idea of crafting some type of
tail swishing machine, just for fun. Maybe after I finish my sub. Frank
D. |