Numerical modeling and simulation of a current through the nest of the pufferfish Torquigener albomaculosus for biomimicry applications

This project consists of simulating a water current through a numerical model of the nest of the pufferfish, Torquigener albomaculosus. The physical properties of the current and those of the nest that could influence the current’s speed are studied. The goal of this project is to confirm that the speed of the current decreases after flowing through the nest, and to quantify by how much it decreases. The long-term objective would be to optimize the 3D models to maximize the nest’s effect on the current. Real life breakwater structures could be designed by using biomimicry to apply them along coasts and to manage these zones in a sustainable way against coastal erosion for example.   Numerical models of the nest were made on CATIA available on 3DEXPERIENCE : a model as realistic as possible, a linear unrolled model, a sinusoidal model, and a torus respecting the same volume as the initial realistic nest model. Then, they were exported to the DASSAULT SYSTEMES XFlow SIMULIA software. XFlow allows us to simulate a current and to see its behaviour when it meets the 3D model over time. Since this is also an academic project, a 3DEXPERIENCE Dashboard with the simulation results was created to keep our teachers updated. The first simulation’s goal was to represent the natural environment as much as possible. For the other simulations, physical properties of the current were changed, such as its speed and the angle with which it flows through the nest. Simulations were also made with the other 3D models to highlight the impact of the nest’s structure on the current. We can then observe the behavior of the current’s speed around the 3D structure over time. The simulations’ velocity data were then exported to facilitate their post-treatment. The data are promising but more models need to be created and tested with simulations to optimize the nest’s geometry and its breakwater properties. We can also improve the configuration of the XFlow simulations by taking into account the gravity and the pressure exerted on the nest that’s supposedly built at around 30m underwater.