Elastic spheres can walk on water

Jesse Belden (), Randy C. Hurd, Michael A. Jandron, Allan F. Bower and Tadd T. Truscott
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Jesse Belden: Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport
Randy C. Hurd: Utah State University
Michael A. Jandron: Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport
Allan F. Bower: School of Engineering, Brown University
Tadd T. Truscott: Utah State University

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Incited by public fascination and engineering application, water-skipping of rigid stones and spheres has received considerable study. While these objects can be coaxed to ricochet, elastic spheres demonstrate superior water-skipping ability, but little is known about the effect of large material compliance on water impact physics. Here we show that upon water impact, very compliant spheres naturally assume a disk-like geometry and dynamic orientation that are favourable for water-skipping. Experiments and numerical modelling reveal that the initial spherical shape evolves as elastic waves propagate through the material. We find that the skipping dynamics are governed by the wave propagation speed and by the ratio of material shear modulus to hydrodynamic pressure. With these insights, we explain why softer spheres skip more easily than stiffer ones. Our results advance understanding of fluid-elastic body interaction during water impact, which could benefit inflatable craft modelling and, more playfully, design of elastic aquatic toys.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10551

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