In this paper, a numerical method for dynamic simulation of a multicable underwater towed system is proposed. The system consists of a tow cable, a towed body and two arrays. The equations of motion for cables are based on Ablow and Schechter (1983) and the six-degree-offreedom ordinary differential equations are used in analyzing motion of a towed body. The boundary conditions of the system are derived. The numerical scheme is based on a finite difference method. A number of runs are simulated including maneuvers such as turns and sudden velocity changes. The results show that the numerical method is stable in the whole range of simulation and effective in predicting the motion of a multi-cable underwater towed system.
Underwater towed systems are widely used in ocean engineering and naval defense. Since they were put into use, considerable research works have been carried out to develop approaches of determining the performances of these systems. Choo and Casarella (1973) made a critical review of various methods in the past. Sanders (1982), Delmer et al. (1983), Ablow and Schechter (1983), Milinazzo et al. (1987) and Huang (1994) made their three-dimensional dynamic analyses. The prevailing methods include the finite difference method and the lumped mass method. In recent years, underwater towed systems with multiple cables such as multiple array sonars have been developed owing to their advantages. There is also a need to know the dynamic performance of such systems. Wu and Chwang (1997) proposed a three-dimensional model of a two-part underwater towed system. In this paper, a numerical method for dynamic simulation of a multi-cable underwater towed system is proposed. The system consists of a tow cable, a towed body and two arrays.
