Development and validation of a conceptual design program for unmanned underwater vehicles
Name
858871322-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
11.26 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
76f1e87849e806f1c6988fdc576a70b1
Author(s)
Laun, Alexander Walter, Ensign
Advisor(s)
Michael Ricard and Jerod Ketcham.
Date Issued
2013
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
With a renewed focus on the Asia-Pacific region, the United States Navy will increasingly rely on high-endurance unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to support successful operations in a challenging threat environment. Undoubtedly, this naval strategy will necessitate versatile UUV systems that fulfill a broad spectrum of customer-generated requirements. This thesis presents a unique approach to the conceptual design process for UUVs, thereby allowing strategic decision-makers to rapidly explore a given design space. The proposed MATLAB-based conceptual design program features five primary modules: a mission module, a hull module, a resistance module, a battery module, and a pressure vessel module. The final concept design results from an iterative process that considers the displacement, interior volume, and exterior volume of the total UUV system. To validate the proposed design algorithm, the author applied the best practices of modern naval architecture, marine engineering, ocean engineering, systems engineering, and submersible design. Model test data and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software were used to validate the empirical equations selected for the resistance module. The pressure vessel module, including a genetic algorithm to generate viable scantlings, was validated by a consideration of manually optimized pressure vessel designs. Ultimately, this thesis demonstrates the sufficiency, reliability, and versatility of the proposed conceptual design program for UUVs.
Description
Thesis (S.M. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and, (S.M. in Ocean Engineering)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-76).
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
