Biomimetic improvement of the maneuvering qualities of unmanned underwater vehicles

Abstract

In recent years, biomimetics has been used as a source of inspiration to improve the performance of engineered systems in several disciplines. In this thesis, we emulate the function of the retractable dorsal fins in tunas to improve the maneuvering performance of a typical autonomous underwater vehicle, the REMUS 100 AUV. We are introducing dorsal-like fins on the AUV that can be erected to alter its maneuvering hydrodynamic coefficients, and hence affect the transient and steady-state turning response. In order to study systematically the effect of adding dorsal fins, we built a six degrees of freedom simulation model of the REMUS AUV. The model included body and rudder lift forces and moments, added mass forces and moments, gyroscopic and centrifugal forces, drag forces and moments, and body forces and moments such as buoyancy and gravity terms. To target the horizontal plane maneuvering characteristics, we reduced the model to a 3 DOF simulation, allowing the dorsal fin to vary in area, location along the length of the AUV, as well as having a turning angle with respect to the REMUS x-axis. We find that the addition of the fin can improve the performance, as measured by the radius of turning and rate of turning, moderately only when placed ahead of the center of gravity. However, when the dorsal fin is also allowed to rotate in the opposite direction that the rudder, substantial improvement in maneuvering performance is noted, increasing the turning rate up to 25%.