Six-DOF CFD Simulations of Underwater Vehicle Operating Underwater Turning Maneuvers

Abstract

Maneuverability, which is closely related to operational performance and safety, is one of the important hydrodynamic properties of an underwater vehicle (UV), and its accurate prediction is essential for preliminary design. The purpose of this study is to analyze the turning ability of a UV while rising or submerging; the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method was used to numerically predict the six-DOF self-propelled maneuvers of submarine model BB2, including steady turning maneuvers and space spiral maneuvers. In this study, the overset mesh method was used to deal with multi-body motion, the body force method was used to describe the thrust distribution of the propeller at the model scale, and the numerical prediction also included the dynamic deflection of the control planes, where the command was issued by the autopilot. Then, this study used the published model test results of the tank to verify the effectiveness of the CFD prediction of steady turning maneuvers, and the prediction of space spiral maneuvers was carried out on this basis. The numerical results show that the turning motion has a great influence on the depth and pitch attitude of the submarine, and a “stern heavier” phenomenon occurs to a submarine after steering. The underwater turning of a submarine can not only reduce the speed to brake but also limit the dangerous depth. The conclusion is of certain reference significance for submarine emergency maneuvers.

Keywords

• 6-DOF
• CFD
• self-propelled
• steady turning maneuver
• space spiral maneuver
• autopilot