Modelling and Analysis of Turning Motion of a Subsurface Mapping AUV with Split-Hull Design

There is much need for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for inspection and mapping purposes. Most conventional AUVs use torpedo-shaped single-rigid hull, because of which their manoeuvrability is limited. Moreover, any increase in payload results in a larger hull size and the turning diameter, limiting its operation in constrained areas. As a solution to this problem, we develop M-Hull, a subsurface mapping AUV with a modular-split hull design that provides better manoeuvrability than a conventional torpedo-shaped vehicle. At the same time, it has more agility than an unconventional bio-inspired snake-like vehicle though their designs look similar. This approach makes it a hybrid solution between conventional torpedo-shaped AUVs and unconventional bio-inspired vehicles. We focus on improving the turning diameter during the mapping operation, and hence this paper concentrates on the dynamic aspects of the 2D turning motion of the vehicle. It will provide the relationship between turning speed, thrust, and joint torque requirements for the multi-hull underwater vehicle. Different turning modes are compared to choose an optimum turning configuration, and the critical speed is calculated for the vehicle’s safe operation. In the end, the modelling is verified using the experimental data. One can follow the method followed here for the 2D motion analysis of similar underwater vehicles.

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