Practicability Research and Design of the Underwater Plane

Abstract

When traditional underwater vehicles (TUV), including AUVs, ROVs, submarines and underwater gliders, cruise, they are neutral in buoyancy normally and their buoyancy are produced by buoyancy materials or big ballast tanks, thus these components take up the major part of the vehicles’ volumes. Differently, an underwater plane (UP) cruises in the condition of negative buoyancy. Its wings bear the residual gravity, which makes its resistance and volume decreased drastically at the same speed and with the same payload. To prove the practicability of the UP, we find the advantages of the UP in the velocity or resistance and volume compared with the TUV on the same premise through theoretical arithmetic. So far, a model, we designed in the similar way of designing an airplane, has been manufactured to make sure that the UP could work in water. In a model trial in the tank, the model completed regular motions well and shown good maneuverability and stability. So, the concept of the UP is not only practicable but valuable.