Numerical Simulation Study of the Motion Characteristics of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles During Mooring Lurking Procedure
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Problem Formulation
2.1. Physical Model
2.2. Anchor Chain Dynamics Model
2.2.1. Dynamic Control Equation for Microsegment of Anchor Chain
2.2.2. Additional Mass Force
2.2.3. Mathematical Model of Lumped Mass Method
2.2.4. Force Analysis of Anchor Chain Nodes
2.3. Dynamics Model for the Rigid Body
3. Simulation and Computational Method
3.1. Grid Distribution
3.2. Control Equation
3.3. Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) Calculation Method
3.4. Numerical Method Validation
4. Results and Discussions
4.1. Influences of Ocean Current Velocity on the Motion Characteristics of the Moored System
4.1.1. Force Analysis of Cable
4.1.2. Force Analysis of Cable
4.1.3. Analysis of Flow Pattern
4.2. Influences of Cable Length on the Motion Characteristics of the Moored System
4.2.1. Force Analysis of Cable
4.2.2. Movement and Trajectory
4.2.3. Analysis of Flow Pattern
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- The ocean current velocity v has a significant impact on the underwater motion of the moored AUV. The higher the current velocity, the farther the AUV moves to reach its equilibrium position, the longer the time required, and the larger the vertical vibration amplitude. When v = 0.0809 m/s, the maximum amplitude is 1.112 m.
- (2)
- The cable length L primarily governs the change in the equilibrium position of the moored AUV. The longer the cable, the farther the AUV can move in both the flow direction and the vertical direction, and the equilibrium position shifts further from the initial release position. When L = 14 m, the vertical vibration amplitude of the moored AUV is the largest, with an amplitude of 1.431 m. Therefore, when designing the mooring system, attention should be paid to the compatibility between the anchor chain length and the AUV body.
- (3)
- The underwater movement of the moored AUV exhibits a relatively complex pattern. When the motion of the moored AUV in both the X and Y directions shows regular periodicity, with two oscillation cycles in the X-direction and four vibration cycles in the Y-direction—meaning the motion period in the X-direction is twice that of the Y-direction—the trajectory of the AUV’s centroid forms an 8-shaped low-frequency motion. It can be inferred that the mathematical relationship between the periods in the X and Y directions plays a significant role in the trajectory of the AUV’s underwater flow-induced motion. In practical mooring design, the ratio of the periods in the X and Y directions can be used as a reference for assessing the current motion state of the AUV.
- (4)
- In this study, the vortex shedding pattern of the moored AUV is classified into two types: S (single) and P (pair). The results show that when the vortex shedding pattern behind the AUV cylinder follows the P-mode, the trajectory of the AUV’s centroid approaches an ‘8’ shape. At this point, the number of vortices shed per cycle gradually increases, indicating that the fluid forces cycle multiple times, leading to larger vibration amplitudes.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Nomenclature
T | Cable tension |
B | Buoyancy |
G | gravity |
Fluid drag | |
D | Diameter of AUV cylinder |
I | Initial force |
L | Length of cable |
k | Turbulent kinetic energy |
Fluid density | |
Turbulence frequency | |
Turbulent dissipation rate | |
Turbulent turbulent dissipation rate constant | |
Turbulent productivity constant | |
g | Gravitational acceleration |
d | Diameter of the anchor chain |
v | Ocean current velocity |
Normal drag of anchor chain | |
Tangential drag of anchor chain | |
Normal resistance coefficients of anchor chain | |
Tangential resistance coefficients of anchor chain | |
Normal velocity of anchor chain | |
Tangential velocity of anchor chain | |
Turbulent viscosity | |
Prandtl number of turbulence frequency | |
Hydrodynamic force | |
Gravity and buoyant force | |
Cable force | |
Turbulence generation term |
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Parameters | Value | Parameters | Value |
---|---|---|---|
Length of AUV | 7 m | Length of cable | 12 m |
Mass of AUV | 1438 kg | Linear density of the cable | 1.56 kg/m |
Diameter of AUV | 0.534 m | Diameter of the cable | 0.02 m |
Center of gravity | (0, 0) |
Mesh | Elements | fy |
---|---|---|
Coarse | 20,000 | 0.01992 |
Refine1 | 30,000 | 0.01821(9.4%) |
Refine2 | 40,000 | 0.01703(6.9%) |
Refine3 | 50,000 | 0.01726(1.4%) |
Timestep | Steps(s) | fy |
---|---|---|
T1 | 0.1 | 0.01548 |
T2 | 0.07 | 0.01633(5.2%) |
T3 | 0.05 | 0.01712(4.6%) |
T4 | 0.03 | 0.01741(1.7%) |
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Hu, Y.; Mao, Z.; Cheng, B.; Li, B.; Tian, W. Numerical Simulation Study of the Motion Characteristics of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles During Mooring Lurking Procedure. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13, 275. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13020275
Hu Y, Mao Z, Cheng B, Li B, Tian W. Numerical Simulation Study of the Motion Characteristics of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles During Mooring Lurking Procedure. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2025; 13(2):275. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13020275
Chicago/Turabian StyleHu, Yuyang, Zhaoyong Mao, Bo Cheng, Bo Li, and Wenlong Tian. 2025. "Numerical Simulation Study of the Motion Characteristics of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles During Mooring Lurking Procedure" Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 13, no. 2: 275. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13020275
APA StyleHu, Y., Mao, Z., Cheng, B., Li, B., & Tian, W. (2025). Numerical Simulation Study of the Motion Characteristics of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles During Mooring Lurking Procedure. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 13(2), 275. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13020275