TRANSIENT ANALYSIS OF HYDRODYNAMIC INTERACTION EFFECTS ON AN AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLE IN PROXIMITY OF A MOVING SUBMARINE

When an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is operating close to a moving submarine, the hydrodynamic interaction between the two vehicles can prevent the AUV from maintaining its desired trajectory. This can lead to mission failure and, in extreme cases, collision with the submarine. This paper outlines the transient interaction influence on the hydrodynamic coefficients of an AUV operating in close proximity and in relative motion to a larger moving submarine. The effects of relative motion on the interaction behaviour were investigated via two manoeuvres, i.e. the AUV overtaking and being overtaken by the submarine at different relative forward velocities and lateral distances. The results presented are from a series of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations on axisymmetric AUV and submarine hull forms, with validation of the CFD model carried out through scaled captive model experiments. The results showed that an AUV becomes less susceptible to the interaction influence when overtaking at speeds higher than the submarine. The implications of the interaction influence on the AUV’s ability to safely manoeuvre around the submarine are also discussed.