The Development and Application of Underwater Vehicle Design Techniques

The lack of accurate methods for predicting vehicle hydrodynamic characteristics, given the vehicle´s external geometric configuration, has been a recurring problem and an uncertain process in submersible vehicle design. Traditionally, extensive testing and modification of models and full-scale vehicles are required before an accept- able configuration is defined an approach costly in both time and money. The Hydromechanics Division at NCSC began a systematic approach in 1973 for analytically determining the hydrodynainic coefficients of submersibles by developing new semi- empirical methods, consisting of theoretical formulas and data correlations of systematic data bases obtained from wind tunnel tests of a modular model designed to cover submersible configurations. Comparisons of the new methods with experimental data and other available methods are made and their application in the design, fabrication and test of a towed vehicle system is discussed.