E.J. Anderson, P.S. MacGillivray and M.E. DeMont (1997). Scallop
shells exhibit optimization of riblet
dimensions for drag reduction. Biological Bulletin 192, 341-344.
Summary
It is becoming quite common to find engineers and biologists
collaborating as the interdisciplinary field of biomechanics
continues to expand. For several years, drag reduction by
streamwise surface grooves, or riblets, has been observed by
engineers and has been applied to certain biological systems.
Drag reductions as high as 8% have been observed, leading to
practical nautical and aeronautical applications. Several
species of scallop, including Placopecten magellanicus, display
riblets arranged radially, therefore roughly parallel to the flow
while swimming. The dimensions of these riblets on
particular scallops fall within the region necessary for drag
reduction at experimentally measured swimming speeds. What is
more interesting is that the actual spacing of the riblets
gradually migrates into the theoretically optimum spacing region
as shell length increases beyond 40 mm. Previous
work on P. magellanicus has determined that scallops 40 to 80 mm
in length demonstrate the greatest swimming ability. Our
data strongly suggest that streamwise riblets may be a
contributing factor to the swimming success in scallops of this
size range.
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Edwin DeMont, Associate Professor
Biology Department, St. Francis Xavier University
P.O. Box 5000, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, B2G 2W5 Canada
Voice 902-867-5116 FAX 902-867-2389
edemont@juliet.stfx.ca -
January 2, 1997