Numerical Calculations of Maneuvering Damping and Added Mass Coefficients Up To the Third Order for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Abstract

Accurate prediction of hydrodynamic coefficients is crucial for the design and maneuvering analysis of AUVs. This study addresses a significant challenge in estimating damping and added mass coefficients, including higher-order terms, by employing a URANS-based finite volume method FVM. The PMM module is applied in both yaw and sway motions to compute forces and moments, and sixth-order polynomial interpolation is used to extract linear and rotational coefficients. The results demonstrate that the added mass coefficient for the yaw moment is 1.94, with a relative error of less than 0.5% compared to experimental data, highlighting the high accuracy of the proposed approach. Additionally, the effect of the vehicle’s length-to-diameter ratio is investigated to guide optimal geometric design. The innovative aspects of this work include the precise calculation of third-order hydrodynamic coefficients, incorporation of viscosity and turbulence effects for improved realism, and an efficient numerical procedure that enhances accuracy while reducing computation time. These findings provide valuable insights for AUV design and maneuvering performance prediction.