Optimal tip shape for minimum drag and lift during horizontal penetration in granular media
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Patino-Ramirez, F
O'Sullivan, C
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Horizontal penetration in granular media is ubiquitous, from tunneling and geotechnical site investigation, to root growth
and the locomotion of burrowing animals in nature. This contribution couples the discrete element method (DEM) with ant
colony optimisation, a heuristic optimisation algorithm, to find the optimal tip shapes to minimise drag and lift forces
during horizontal penetration. The tip which minimizes drag has a slender profile with a low tip curvature, to give a drag
force that is 15:6% lower compared to a conventional CPT intruder, however this shape induces a downwards force that
increases with intruder depth. Conversely, the tip that minimizes lift is blunt, with a high tip curvature and short width, and
reduces the drag and lift forces by 4:5% and 30:8% (respectively) compared to the CPT. The lift and drag forces are
competing optimisation objectives, thus the tip shape with the optimal trade-off between drag and lift forces can be
established using Pareto optimality. The Pareto optimal tip shape reduces the drag and lift forces by 10:7% and 19:4%
respectively, and is strikingly similar to the profile of a sandfish. This contribution shows that when a common goal exists,
bio-inspired solutions can offer an optimal solution to engineering applications. We also show the potential to integrate
DEM simulations within an optimization framework to develop innovative design solutions.
and the locomotion of burrowing animals in nature. This contribution couples the discrete element method (DEM) with ant
colony optimisation, a heuristic optimisation algorithm, to find the optimal tip shapes to minimise drag and lift forces
during horizontal penetration. The tip which minimizes drag has a slender profile with a low tip curvature, to give a drag
force that is 15:6% lower compared to a conventional CPT intruder, however this shape induces a downwards force that
increases with intruder depth. Conversely, the tip that minimizes lift is blunt, with a high tip curvature and short width, and
reduces the drag and lift forces by 4:5% and 30:8% (respectively) compared to the CPT. The lift and drag forces are
competing optimisation objectives, thus the tip shape with the optimal trade-off between drag and lift forces can be
established using Pareto optimality. The Pareto optimal tip shape reduces the drag and lift forces by 10:7% and 19:4%
respectively, and is strikingly similar to the profile of a sandfish. This contribution shows that when a common goal exists,
bio-inspired solutions can offer an optimal solution to engineering applications. We also show the potential to integrate
DEM simulations within an optimization framework to develop innovative design solutions.
Date Issued
2024-01-01
Date Acceptance
2023-03-24
Citation
Acta Geotechnica, 2024, 19, pp.19-38
ISSN
1861-1125
Publisher
Springer
Start Page
19
End Page
38
Journal / Book Title
Acta Geotechnica
Volume
19
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
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Identifier
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Subjects
AERODYNAMIC SHAPE
Ant colony optimisation
Bio inspiration
Burrowing
CONSTRAIN
DESIGN
Discrete element model
Drag and lift forces
Engineering
Engineering, Geological
EVOLUTION
Horizontal penetration
LOCOMOTION
OPTIMIZATION
SAND
Science & Technology
SIMULATION
Technology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2023-05-08