Optimal Swimming with a Burst-and-Coast Behaviour

Swimming animals are typically assumed to be continuously adding power to the fluid throughout a period of motion. On the other hand, animals have been observed using a non-continuously powered motion described as a burst-and-coast or burst-and-glide behavior. When animals use a non-continuously powered motion it is estimated that their cost of transport is reduced by as much as 45{\%}. However, there are competing mechanisms in the literature that lead to this conclusion. The present study aims to identify the underlying mechanism of burst-and-coast energy savings and to quantify the scaling of optimal motions. A two-dimensional boundary element method approach is used to quantify the performance and wake structure of a free-swimming pitching panel operating with a burst-and-coast behavior.