A study of the drag and propulsion performance, and motion analysis of an Underwater Disk Robot (UDR)

Abstract

This paper shows a method for predicting the drag and propulsion performance (thrust, torque estimation) of an Underwater Disk Robot (UDR). The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, ANSYS-CFX, was used to predict the drag and propulsion performance of the UDR before comparing the CFD results with the results of the empirical method (ITTC1957) and an experimental bollard test conducted within a model basin. Finally, heave and pitch motion simulation studies of the UDR were carried out with the CFD software. The CFD results reveal the distribution of hydrodynamic values (velocity, pressure, etc.) of the UDR for these motion studies.