Study on the transit efficiency for hybrid driven underwater gliders based on a foldable propeller

This paper presents a thorough approach characterizing the transit efficiency of a hybrid-driven underwater glider (HDUG) with a foldable propeller. A kind of HDUG with a folding propulsion mechanism has been designed in this paper. The HDUG features high efficiency penetrating in ocean like conventional underwater gliders and high maneuverability when the folding propulsion is in use. As part of the development transit efficiency need to be analyzed. The HDUG has glider buoyancy-driven mode, AUV propeller-driven mode, as well as hybrid-driven mode. In this paper, we deduce the formula of the transit efficiency of the designed HDUG in this three driven mode. And we also compare the transit efficiency in buoyancy-driven mode with the blades of the propeller folding and unfolding respectively.