• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.237-244
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• 2020

In this study, we investigate surge force, heave force, and pitch moment, which are vertical plane hydrodynamics acting on Manta-type unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), using a model test and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. Assessing the maneuvering hydrodynamic characteristic of an underwater glider in the initial design stage is crucial. Although a model test is the best approach for obtaining the maneuvering hydrodynamic derivatives for underwater vehicles, numerical methods, such as Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations, have been used owing to their efficiency in terms of time and cost. Therefore, we conducted an RANS-based CFD calculation and a model test for Manta-type UUVs. In addition, we conducted a validation study through a comparison with a model test conducted at a circular water channel (CWC) in Korea Maritime & Ocean University Furthermore, two RANS solvers (Star-CCM+ and OpenFOAM) were used and compared. Finally, the maneuvering hydrodynamic forces obtained from the static drift and resistance tests for a Manta-type UUV were presented.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.469-476
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• 2008

In this paper, it is shown that an input-output (I/O) feedback linearized controller can be designed rationally by utilizing the time-scale properties of heave and pitch for an underwater vehicle. It is assumed that the dynamics of the vehicle is restricted to the vertical plane. An output-feedback control is designed, which stabilizes steady cruising paths. It is shown that the vehicle dynamics with acceleration as output becomes minimum phase. The dynamics can be transformed into a reduced system through a kind of partial linearization and singular perturbation technique. The reduced system is not only minimum phase but also exactly I/O linearizable via feedback. The I/O dynamic characteristics of the heave and pitch modes can be made linear and decoupled. Furthermore it becomes independent of cruising condition such as vehicle velocity. This study may help for designing autopilot systems for underwater vehicles.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.51-59
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• 2017

In the early design stage of underwater vehicles, it is important to estimate the vehicle's underwater motion performance. The key design elements for the motion are propellers, battery power, and underwater resistance of the vehicle. Small thrusters with motor and propeller are usually used for the UUV(unmanned underwater vehicles). In this study, a multiphysics thruster model combining electro-mechanical and hydrodynamics characteristics was proposed to estimate the thruster performance. To show the applicability of the mathematical model, an sample thruster was used for the derive the unknown parameters of thruster. Hydrodynamic parameters were calculated for a 3D geometry model of the propeller by ANSYS/CFX program. Finally, Matlab/simulink program was used for the numerical simulation to predict the thruster performance from the given voltage/current input to the motor. Also, proved validity of simulation model by experiment test. Test were done by 2 mode(middle/high speed, reverse). The thruster performance curves obtained from this simulation were confirmed to be similar with experiment results.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.65 no.11
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• pp.1868-1878
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• 2016

This paper proposes a novel velocity estimator for long-term underwater navigation of autonomous underwater vehicles(AUVs). Provided that an external position fix is not given, a viable goal in designing a underwater navigation algorithm is to reduce the divergence rate of position error only using the sporadic velocity information obtained from Doppler velocity log(DVL). For such case, the performance of underwater navigation eventually depends on accuracy and reliability of external velocity information. This motivates us to devise a velocity estimator which can drastically enhance the navigation performance even when the DVL measurement is unavailable. Incorporating the Gertler-Hagen hydrodynamics model of an AUV with the measurement models of velocity and depth sensors, the velocity estimator design problem is resolved using the extended Kalman filter. Different from the existing methods in which an AUV simulator is regarded as a virtual sensor, our approach is less sensitive to the model uncertainty often encountered in practice. This is because our velocity filter estimates the simulator errors with sensor aids and furthermore compensates these errors based on the indirect feedforward manner. Through the simulations for typical AUV navigation scenarios, the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is demonstrated.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.409-425
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• 2015

In this paper, we employ a dynamics modeling method for investigating a multi-body dynamics system of semi-submersible autonomous underwater vehicles consisting of a towing vehicle operated near the water surface, a tow cable, and a towfish. The towfish, which is towed by a marine cable for the purposes of exploration or mine hunting, is modeled with a Six-Degree-of-Freedom (6-DOF) equation of motion that reflects its hydrodynamics characteristics. The towing cable, which can experience large displacements and deformations, is modeled using an absolute nodal coordinate formulation. To reflect the hydrodynamic characteristics of the cable during motion, the hydrodynamic force due to added mass and the drag force are imposed. To verify the completeness of the modeling, a few simple numerical simulations were conducted, and the results confirm the physical plausibility of the model.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.20 no.6 s.73
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• pp.93-100
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• 2006

This paper is concerned with the dynamic analysis of an underwater tracked vehicle, operating on extremely soft soil of the deep-seafloor. The vehicle is assumed as a rigid-body with 6-dof. The orientation of the vehicle is defined by four Euler parameters. To solve the motion equations of the vehicle, the Newmark numerical integrator is used in the incremental-iterative algorithm. The normalization constraint of Euler parameters is satisfied by using of a sequential updating method. The hydrodynamic force and moment are included in the tracked vehicle's dynamics. The hydrodynamic effects on the performance of tracked vehicles are investigated through numerical simulations.