The Effects of Fins on the Intermediate Wake of a Submarine Model

Abstract

Results are presented on the behavior of the turbulent wake behind a submarine model for a range of Reynolds numbers based on the model length between 0.49×106 and 1.8×106, for test locations between 3 and 9 diameters downstream of the stern. The shape of the model emulates an idealized submarine, and tests were performed with and without stern fins. In the absence of fins, the velocity profile in planes away from the influence of the sail rapidly becomes self-similar and is well described by a function of exponentials. The fins create defects in the velocity profiles in the outer region of the wake, while yielding higher values of turbulence at locations corresponding to the tips of the fins. Measurements conducted in planes away from the midline plane show that the velocity profiles remain self-similar, while the shear stress profiles clearly show the effects of the necklace vortices trailing from the base of the fins.