Noise Control Due to the Stator Wake Blade Interaction via Tail Articulation

The biologically inspired method of tail articulation is investigated as a means of reducing tonal noise due to wake deficit blade interaction in underwater vehicles. Experiments are carried out in a water tunnel under typical operating conditions for underwater vehicles. Tail articulation is implemented using a life scale stator model with a hinged flapping tail operating both in free-stream velocities corresponding to Reynolds number in the range 75000 < Re < 300000 and at frequencies up to 30 Hz to investigate the range of Strouhal number 0.0 < St < 0.35. Velocity measurements of the active stator wake are carried out by laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) to investigate the effects of tail articulation on the stator wake. Time-averaged measurements of the stator wake by LDV show that of the tail articulation has a dominant effect on the time mean stator drag. Instantaneous phase-averaged measurements of the stator wake by PIV show a transition in the unsteady stator wake as is increased, from a deflected vortex sheet to a series of rolled up, discrete vortices. Measurements are made of the wake due to both sinusoidal and nonsinusoidal tail motion profiles, which show that significant wake alteration is achieved with tail articulation. A low-order model describing the creation and convection of vorticity by tail articulation is developed which describes wake phenomena observed in LDV and PIV measurements. Finally, a 3-D unsteady propeller simulation using both experimental wake velocity data by PIV and simulated wake velocity data generated with the reduced-order model are used to predict the effect of sinusoidal tail articulation on radiated noise. Results using simulated data indicate that a significant noise alteration is achieved in all cases, and noise reduction of 5-8 dB is achieved in some cases.     

考虑自由面反射作用的圆柱流噪声计算

对于现代舰船而言噪声是其关键性能之一,目前水下航行体的流激噪声预测方法已经较为成熟,但是水面舰船的水动力噪声研究起步较晚,还没有形成系统的预报方法和控制手段。使用开源CFD工具包OpenFOAM求解器,流场通过大涡模拟方法求解,自由液面则依靠VOF方法捕捉,通过Curle方程预测远场噪声,基于镜像法考虑自由面的反射作用,数值模拟近自由面圆柱周围的声场分布。开展了Re=3 900下距离自由液面不同高度的圆柱辐射噪声求解,主要结合流场分析自由面对声场的扰动作用和不同深度对水下几何体流噪声的影响。初步考虑了自由液面波形对辐射噪声的反射作用,为后续预测水面舰船的水动力噪声特性提供依据,自由面对辐射噪声的阻抗等作用还需进一步研究。     

Underwater acoustic noise measurement in test tanks

The range capability of underwater acoustic equipment installed onboard underwater vehicles is limited by the noise generated by propellers, hydraulic pumps.... Measuring this noise at sea is quite expensive. Here is described a procedure allowing the measurement of the radiated noise in test tanks. This method is derived from techniques previously developed in aerial acoustics and in electromagnetism     

Propeller underwater radiated noise: A comparison between model scale measurements in two different facilities and full scale measurements

The prediction of propeller induced pressure fluctuations and underwater radiated noise is a subject of great and increasing interest in marine engineering. Nevertheless, the full-scale prediction of these negative effects, even though based on dedicated model scale tests represents still a challenging task. This is due to different phenomena, among which scale effects on cavitation and ship wake, confined environment and near field effects in model tests play an important role; the analysis of these problems is made difficult by the rather limited amount of available data from sea trials and to the complexities of the phenomena, most of which related to cavitation on the propeller blades, that are present in the measurements carried out in cavitation tunnels, depressurized towing tanks or circulating channels.In the present work, the subject has been studied with reference to a four blades conventional CP propeller of a coastal tanker.Cavitation tunnel tests have been carried out in two rather different facilities, at UNIGE cavitation tunnel and at SSPA large cavitation tunnel.Results from model scale tests processed with different treatments are then compared with full scale measurements performed by SSPA on the same propeller in terms of cavitation extension and radiated noise.The analysis is aimed at assessing the effectiveness of different experimental setups, testing procedures and scaling laws.     

Bioinspired delayed stall propulsor

This paper provides an overview of a bioinspired delay stall propulsor (BDSP) concept that employs delayed stall unsteady lift enhancement to increase the lift on propeller blades without adding any complexity to the propulsor. This BDSP concept can provide greatly increased propeller thrust for a given propeller diameter, leading to both increased speed and/or maneuverability. Alternately, this technology offers reduced radiated noise while maintaining current thrust levels through reduction in both propulsor rotation speed and acoustic cancellation. Preliminary two-dimensional simulations have shown a potential 36% reduction in rotational speed at constant thrust, leading to an estimated 4-dB reduction in the total radiated acoustic power. It is believed that the BDSP concept will be simple to manufacture, rugged, and easy to retrofit into existing marine propulsors. This technology has direct application to torpedoes, unmanned underwater vehicles, maneuvering thrusters, submarines, and other propeller-driven devices.     

Decreasing the radiated acoustic and vibration noise of a mid-size AUV

An Odyssey IIb autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) made by Bluefin Robotics, Inc., was acquired by the Marine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, to conduct research in underwater acoustics as well as provide a platform for other scientific studies. The original Odyssey IIb tail cone was replaced with a ducted fan, vectored thrust system installed on vehicles currently sold by Bluefin. In initial sea tests with the new thrust system, the acoustic self noise levels of the vehicle while underway were 20 to 50 dB higher than typical ocean background noise levels, preventing the vehicle's use as a receiver of low level sounds. Controlled tests were performed to characterize the radiated and vibration noise of the AUV propulsion and actuators. Once this baseline was established, changes were made, mostly to the tail cone propulsion, to decrease the vehicle's self noise. The resulting self noise levels of the AUV from 10 Hz up to 10 kHz measured while underway by a hydrophone mounted on the AUV's inner shroud now are at or below typical shallow water background noise levels except in three bands; below 250 Hz, around 500 Hz, and from 0.9 to 2.0 kHz. The goal of this paper is to describe these changes and their effects in lowering vehicle noise levels.     

Approximate Analytical Turning Conditions for Underwater Gliders: Implications for Motion Control and Path Planning

This paper describes analysis of steady motions for underwater gliders, a type of highly efficient underwater vehicle which uses gravity for propulsion. Underwater gliders are winged underwater vehicles which locomote by modulating their buoyancy and their attitude. Several underwater gliders have been developed and have proven their worth as efficient long-distance, long-duration ocean sampling platforms. Underwater gliders are so efficient because they spend much of their flight time in stable, steady motion. Wings-level gliding flight for underwater gliders has been well studied, but analysis of steady turning flight is more subtle. This paper presents an approximate analytical expression for steady turning motion for a realistic underwater glider model. The problem is formulated in terms of regular perturbation theory, with the vehicle turn rate as the perturbation parameter. The resulting solution exhibits a special structure that suggests an efficient approach to motion control as well as a planning strategy for energy efficient paths.      

潜水器控制系统层次故障诊断模型设计

在潜水器控制系统的基础上,按照结构、功能和组件的关系,为潜水器控制系统进行故障诊断建模。依据基于模型的层次故障诊断技术,建立了适用于潜水器控制系统故障诊断的具体诊断和推理策略,开发了故障诊断软件系统,描述了故障诊断具体过程,并利用数字仿真验证系统设计的有效性。     

水下仿生扑翼机器人的发展现状综述

参照蝠鲼等鱼类游动方式所研制的水下仿生扑翼机器人具有效率高、机动性强、负载能力大等多方面优势。由于其广阔的应用前景,水下仿生扑翼机器人已逐步成为水下航行器领域的研究热点。本文系统地将蝠鲼的生物学特性、机器人的结构设计、动力学模型、单体运动控制、集群运动控制以及实验研究等方面的国内外研究进展进行了总结和梳理。已有的研究表明：水下仿生扑翼机器人正在朝着软体化、集群化、 高机动等方向发展,新兴的水下仿生扑翼机器人及仿生集群能够更加精确的模拟真实生物的游动姿态,并开展相关任务。当下的研究为水下仿生扑翼机器人性能的进一步优化与提升奠定了坚实的理论与实践基础。     

基于可重置联邦滤波器的水下运载体导航定位方法

单一导航系统无法满足水下运载体高精度、高可靠性的导航需求,文中根据常用水下导航系统的特点,提出基于可重置联邦滤波器的水下运载体导航定位方案,设计了以惯导系统(INS)为主参考系统,声学定位系统/深度计、多普勒计程仪(DVL)、罗经为子参考系统的联邦滤波器,并进行了仿真研究。结果表明文中设计的滤波器能有效融合各个传感器的导航信息,实现水下运载体高精度导航定位,并具有一定容错性。     

探讨超疏水技术在水下航行器上的应用

超疏水技术通过在材料表面涂覆憎水的低浸润性涂层,导致水滴在其表面无法滑动铺展而保持球形滚动状,提升材料抗腐蚀、防污自清洁能力。 由于特殊的浸润特性,超疏水材料在水下航行器上的研究得到越来越多的关注。 超疏水技术有效地解决困扰水下航行器发展的瓶颈问题,降低航行阻力,噪音和提升防污抗腐蚀能力。 着重介绍超疏水技术在水下航行器减阻、防污抗腐蚀和降噪领域的应用现状。     

Numerical flow and performance analysis of a water-jet axial flow pump

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the performance and three-dimensional flow fields in a water-jet pump. TASCflow is employed to simulate the rotator-stator coupling flow field. A standard k-ε turbulence model combined with standard wall functions is used. In order to investigate the effect of a rear stator on flow fields, the flows in two water-jet pumps with and without a rear stator are studied. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-predicted overall performances are in good agreement with the experimental results. Then the flow fields, such as the pressure distribution on the blade surfaces, and the axial and tangential velocity distribution, especially the radial loading distribution, are investigated at different flow rates. In addition, the effects of a rear stator and different spacings between the rotor and the stator on the overall performance and the flow fields of the water-jet pump are also investigated.     

Passive sonar ML estimator for ship propeller speed

The optimal estimator in the maximum-likelihood sense fur the propeller speed of a ship, using underwater radiated cavitation noise generated by the propeller blades, is derived. From the result the number of blades on the propeller can also be derived. Results obtained for real sonar data using a digital implementation of the estimator will be presented     

Robust control for an autonomous underwater vehicle that suppresses pitch and yaw coupling

Attitude control systems for autonomous underwater vehicles are often implemented with separate controllers for pitch motion in the vertical plane and yaw motion in the horizontal plane. We propose a novel time-varying model for a streamlined autonomous underwater vehicle that explicitly displays the coupling between yaw and pitch motion due to nonzero roll angle and/or roll rate. The model facilitates the use of a multi-input multi-output H_∞ control design that is robust to yaw-pitch coupling. The efficacy of our approach is demonstrated with field trials.     

Formation control of multiple underwater vehicles subject to communication faults and uncertainties

This paper proposes a novel approach to analyze and design the formation keeping control protocols for multiple underwater vehicles in the presence of communication faults and possible uncertainties. First, we formulate the considered vehicle model as the Port-controlled Hamiltonian form, and introduce the spring-damping system based formation control. Next, the dynamics of multiple underwater vehicles under uncertain relative information is reformulated as a network of Lur’e systems. Moreover, the agents under unknown disturbances generated by an external system are considered, where the internal model is applied to tackle the uncertainties, which still can be regulated as the Lur’e systems. In each case, the formation control is derived from solving LMI problems. Finally, a numerical example is introduced to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical approach.     

自主水下航行器的软变结构控制

研究自主水下航行器系统的软变结构控制策略问题。首先分析软变结构控制系统的结构特征,利用双曲正切函数,给出控制受限情形的软变结构控制策略。其次利用Lyapunov稳定性理论,讨论自主水下航行器软变结构控制系统的稳定性,然后构造了基于双曲正切函数的软变结构控制器,给出自主水下航行器软变结构控制的具体算法。基于双曲正切函数的自主水下航行器软变结构控制系统调节精度高,响应速度快,有效地削弱了系统抖振。最后通过一个仿真实验,比较了自主水下航行器垂直深度通道的4种控制策略对系统性能的影响,从而验证了研究方法的有效性。     

一种基于视觉的水下机器人动力定位方法

以7 000 m载人潜水器的工程需求为背景,以水下单目摄像机为视觉传感器,进行了水下机器人动力定位方法研究。该动力定位方法利用视觉系统测量得到水下机器人与被观察目标之间的三维位姿关系,通过路径规划、位置控制和姿态控制分解,逐步使机器人由初始位姿逼近期望位姿并最终定位于期望位姿,从而实现了机器人的4自由度动力定位。通过水池实验验证了提出的动力定位方法,并且机器人能够抵抗恒定水流干扰和人工位置扰动。同时,该动力定位方法还可以实现机器人对被观察目标的自动跟踪。     

浅海环境水声传播数据实测与仿真分析

搭建了一套水下录音记录系统,在复杂浅海环境进行了水声数据采集实验;对于水声采集数据进行了距离、频率谱分析,利用MIT开发的声学计算程序OASES针对声场进行了仿真分析。通过模拟结果和实测结果的比较,优化调整仿真程序的环境参数,分析发现影响声场分布的主要因素为沉积层压缩波声速与声源深度。通过这种方式,优化了仿真软件的环境参数,初步建立了比较准确的浅海水声环境仿真模型,取得了预期实验效果。     

A behavior-based scheme using reinforcement learning for autonomous underwater vehicles

This paper presents a hybrid behavior-based scheme using reinforcement learning for high-level control of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Two main features of the presented approach are hybrid behavior coordination and semi on-line neural-Q/spl I.bar/learning (SONQL). Hybrid behavior coordination takes advantages of robustness and modularity in the competitive approach as well as efficient trajectories in the cooperative approach. SONQL, a new continuous approach of the Q/spl I.bar/learning algorithm with a multilayer neural network is used to learn behavior state/action mapping online. Experimental results show the feasibility of the presented approach for AUVs.     

Spatial diversity processing for underwater acoustic telemetry

A large increase in the reliability of shipboard or stationary underwater acoustic telemetry systems is achievable by using spatially distributed receivers with aperture sizes from 0.35 to 20 m. Output from each receiver is assigned a quality measure based on the estimated error rate, and the data, weighted by the quality measure, are combined and decoded. The quality measure is derived from a Viterbi error-correction decoder operating on each receiver and is shown to perform reliability in a variety of non-Gaussian noise and jamming environments and reduce to the traditional optimal diversity system in a Gaussian environment. The dynamics of the quality estimator allow operation in the presence of high-power impulsive interference by exploiting the signal and noise differential travel times to individual sensors. The spatial coherence structure of the shallow water acoustic channel shows relatively low signal coherence at separations as short as 0.35 m. Increasing receiver spacing beyond 5 m offers additional benefits in the presence of impulsive noise and larger-scale inhomogeneities in the acoustic field. A number of data transmission experiments were carried out to demonstrate system performance in realistic underwater environments