Laboratory experiment measuring expected drag forces on limpets

The expected drag forces that the average sized limpets were exposed to in the high and low intertidal zones at Griffith Point, Victoria were estimated in a continuously circulating flow tank. The flow tank was 1.8m x 20.5cm x 19.5cm and had a maximum velocity of 0.5m/s. To adequately represent the water velocities found in the field, models of limpets that were 16 times the size of the average limpet for both the high and low zones were used. The large model limpets meant that the effects of drag in an effective flow environment of 8m/s could be measured, which were similar to velocities found in the field. Drag forces exerted on models of limpets that were 8 times the size of the shortest and tallest limpets from the high shore and the flattest limpets from the low shore limpets were also estimated.

针对维多利亚州格里菲斯角高潮间带与低潮间带内普通体型帽贝（limpets）所承受的预期拖拽力，本研究于连续循环水槽（flow tank）中完成了估算。该水槽尺寸为1.8m × 20.5cm × 19.5cm，最大流速可达0.5m/s。为充分还原野外实测水流流速，研究采用了尺寸为高潮间带、低潮间带普通帽贝16倍的帽贝模型。通过该大尺寸帽贝模型，可在等效流速8m/s的水流环境中测得拖拽力效应，该流速与野外实测流速相近。本研究同时估算了以下帽贝模型所受的拖拽力：尺寸分别为高潮间带最矮、最高帽贝8倍的模型，以及低潮间带最扁平帽贝8倍的模型。