Numerical study on the influence of centroid‐to‐buoyancy center ratio on the motion stability of supercavitating vehicle

Abstract

SummaryIn order to study and solve the influence of the change of the position of the centroid of the supercavitating vehicle on the motion stability, the influence law of the position of the centroid of the supercavitating vehicle on the motion stability is found, and the quantitative criterion that can guide the design of the supercavitating vehicle is summarized. On the basis of theoretical analysis, the dynamic mesh technology combined with the volume of fluid multiphase flow model and the rigid body six degrees of freedom motion calculation model is used to carry out the supercavitating vehicle motion and supercavitating flow field coupling numerical simulation research for supercavitating vehicles with different cavitator shapes. The results show that the position relationship between the centroid position and the buoyancy position has a great influence on the motion stability of the vehicle. When the center of buoyancy is before the center of mass, the vehicle is unstable; when the center of buoyancy is behind the center of mass, the vehicle sails stably, and when the position of buoyancy action coincides with the center of mass, the amplitude of the tail beat of the vehicle is the smallest, and the navigation is the most stable, which is the best position of the centroid. In this article, the concept of centroid‐to‐buoyancy center ratio is proposed. The so‐called centroid‐to‐buoyancy center ratio refers to the ratio of the length from the centroid to the top of the head of the supercavitating vehicle to the length from the center of buoyancy to the top of the head of the vehicle. When the centroid‐to‐buoyancy center ratio fluctuates in the range of [0.8–1], it is an ideal condition for the stable navigation of the vehicle. When the centroid‐to‐buoyancy center ratio is in the range of (0, 0.8), the tail beat frequency is high, which accelerates the kinetic energy consumption and the rapid instability of the vehicle. Therefore, under the same constraint conditions, it is not that the closer the center of mass is, the better the stability of the vehicle motion is. The optimal centroid position is not a certain “point,” but a “periodic fluctuation interval” that changes with the buoyancy center.