Parametrics of submarine dynamic stability in the vertical plane

Abstract

The problem of dynamic stability of submersible vehicles in the dive plane is examined utilizing bifurcation techniques. The primary mechanism of loss of stability is identified in the form of generic Hopf bifurcations to periodic solutions. Stability of the resulting limit cycles is established using center manifold approximations and integral averaging. The hydrodynamic coefficients are calculated using existing semi-empirical methods. Parametric studies are performed with varying vehicle geometric properties. The methods described in this work could suggest ways to enlarge the submerged operational envelope of a vehicle early in the design phase.