Computations of Flapping Flow Propulsion for Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Design

摘要

Three-dimensional unsteady computations of the flow past a flapping and deforming fin are performed. Thencomputed unsteady lift and thrust force–time histories are validated with experimental data and are in goodnagreement. Several fin parametric studies are performed for a notional unmanned underwater vehicle. Thenparametric studies investigated the force production of the fin as a function of varying the flexibility, the bulknamplitude of fin rotation, the vehicle speed, and the fin stroke bias angle. The results of these simulations are used tonevaluate the hydrodynamic performance of the vehicle and to support controller development. Computations arenalso performed to map out the hydrodynamic characteristics of a new test vehicle, designed and built at NavalnResearch Laboratory to demonstrate the hovering and low-speed maneuvering performance of a set of activelyncontrolled curvature fins.