Shark skin inspires new structure for improved aerodynamics

Evolutionary biologists and engineers at Harvard University have found that the composition of shark skin could help improve the aerodynamic performance of aerofoils. The research, carried out with colleagues at the University of South Carolina, is published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

"The skin of sharks is covered by thousands and thousands of small scales, or denticles, which vary in shape and size around the body," said George Lauder, the Henry Bryant Bigelow Professor of Ichthyology and Professor of Biology in Harvard’s Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and co-author of the research. "We know a lot about the structure of these denticles - which are very similar to human teeth - but the function has been debated."

To date, most research has focused on the drag reducing properties of denticles but the latest work has considered whether they are better suited for increasing lift.

To help test that hypothesis, the researchers collaborated with engineers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) to recreate the denticles of the shortfin mako, which is the world’s fastest shark.