Numerical Study of the Effect of Wing Position on Autonomous Underwater Glider

Abstract

 Autonomous underwater gliders are a class of underwater vehicles that transit without the help of a conventional propeller. The vehicle uses a buoyancy engine to vary its buoyancy and with the help of the wings attached executes its motion. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the vehicle affect the longitudinal and turning motion. This paper discusses the effect of the wing’s position on the vehicle’s lift and drag characteristics. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool is used to estimate the lift, drag, and pitching moment coefficients of the vehicle. The numerical methodology is validated using flow over NACA0012 wing results for low Reynolds numbers, and the results of CFD are discussed for possible application in estimation of glider motion.