Development Study for Outboard Propulsor Using Oscillating Wing

Propulsion by oscillating a wing in a fish-like tail fin stroke has been proposed as a novel system with higher propulsive efficiency and greater safety than a conventional screw propeller. This paper describes the development of an outboard propulsor using an oscillating wing that is movable and is easy to attach to and detach from a small boat. The behavior of the oscillating wing coupled with the heaving and the pitching motions was realized by use of a new designed crank mechanism with L-shaped links. The propulsive performance of the outboard propulsor using an oscillating wing was investigated. As a result, it was found that the speed of the boat equipped with the outboard propulsor was proportional to the frequency of the oscillating wing. It demonstrated that the outboard propulsor is good for such small boats as fishing boats and pleasure boats as an environmental friendly propulsor.