Date of Award:

5-2017

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

Tadd T. Truscott

Committee

Tadd T. Truscott

Committee

Robert E. Spall

Committee

Ryan Berke

Abstract

Plunge diving and surface diving are two main techniques used by seabirds for foraging purposes. While some plunge divers can dive into the water at very high speeds (24 m/s), surface divers do not. This study analyzes the free-surface impact of 3D printed bird head models with embedded accelerometers to determine why surface divers cannot dive safely at high speeds. The problem is investigated in the context of impact jerk where surface divers, unlike plunge divers, are found to experience non-dimensional jerk (J∗) values exceeding a safe limit. This approach portrays itself as an unconventional yet effective method for differentiating between seabird species and can also be employed for estimating maximum safe impact speeds in other organisms.

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