Influence of Vehicle Wake on the Control of Towed Systems

Abstract

The hydrodynamic wake generated by the underwater vehicle’s motion has a considerable impact on the movement of the towed system underwater. This paper utilizes the lumped mass method to model the towed cable in order to improve the accuracy of predicting its position and attitude in the wake, and to determine the suitable cable-towed position. Velocity is transferred from the flow field to the cable dynamic model in an innovative way to imitate the motion of the cable. Several iterations are conducted to enhance the dynamic reactivity of the cable system. Numerical simulations are used to model both the straight towed and turning movements. The numerical calculation provides the characteristics of vorticity in the flow field formed by the energy exchange between the vorticity and the cable, as well as the gradually dissipating vorticity and momentum exchange characteristics at the trailing edge of the enclosure. The results indicate that the best location for the cable towed is where its motion does not cause any adhesion. On the other hand, the disadvantageous scenario for cable-towed systems occurs when the cable’s movement causes substantial adhesion. This paper innovatively establishes a model of mechanical energy exchange, describes the characteristics of energy exchange between the cable and fluid dynamics, and divides the four regions of cable motion. In the manipulation state, the dynamic energy exchange between the cable and the wake results in the transient vibration response of the cable. The fluid structure coupling method can accurately determine the separation region of the towed point of the vehicle based on its compatibility (non-adhesive) and incompatibility (adhesive). The boundary of the region is defined to distinguish a free tow point from a wall-attached tow point. A transition zone has the possibility to change the pattern from a free tow to a wall-attached tow. The wake can be divided into free tow region, transition zone, and adjacent wall tow region by this fluid structure interaction assessment method.