An Analytical Study of the Dynamic Characteristics of Towed Flexible Cylinders

摘要

The dynamic analysis of a long, thin cylinder under tow in a fluid medium is presented. The differential equation of motion is developed with the result taking the form of a fourth order, nonlinear relation. An order of magnitude analysis is performed to inspect the significance of the equation terms under various types of motion. The linearized form of the differential equation without the cross flow, drag term is analyzed for stability characteristics as a function of tow speeds, cylinder length and diameter and trailing end shape characteristics. (Author)