Weak Solutions for the Motion of a Self-propelled Deformable Structure in a Viscous Incompressible Fluid

We consider the three-dimensional motion of a self-propelled deformable structure into a viscous incompressible fluid. The deformation of the solid is given whereas its position is unknown. Such a system could model the propulsion of fish-like swimmers. The equations of motion of the fluid are the Navier-Stokes equations and the equations for the structure are deduced from Newton’s laws. The corresponding system is a free boundary problem and the main result of the paper is the existence of weak solutions for this problem.