UC San Diego

Solid-fluid interactions are ubiquitous in nature, from leaves falling from trees to fish swimming in the ocean. This dissertation examines a certain class of these interactions, namely asymmetric objects moving through stratified fluids. In the first part, the equations of motion are derived and subsequently solved for a displaced neutrally buoyant ellipse of varying aspect ratio. This is accomplished by using a spectral numerical algorithm, although in certain specific cases the equations can also be solved analytically using Laplace transform techniques. Experiments are conducted to which these analytical and numerical results are compared. General quantitative agreement is observed between the two sets of data. The discrepancies which are observed are consistent with both previous research and expectation. In the second part, the focus is shifted from the solid to the fluid, as the primary concern is now the wave field produced by these moving bodies. The spectral method developed in the first part is easily adapted to this second situation, in which the drag forces on the solid are also easily extracted. The results from this section are compared to previous results, and match very well. The results are then expanded to cases which have not been previously studied