Development and Validation of a Submarine Manoeuvrability Prediction Code for Design

A software that accurately predicts submarine manoeuvring behaviour is essential for hull, sail and control surfaces design. In this context, the availability of a reliable 6-DOF parametric, modular, and robust model is highly advantageous at early design-stage. The mathematical model presented here is based on strip theory for calculating the linear forces on the bare hull combined with non-linear cross-flow drag forces. The contribution of control surfaces and the sail are evaluated using a formulation derived from experiments and literature data, allowing to consider the specifc geometry of the exposed surfaces and the hull sections on which are mounted, thus including all mutual interaction effects between the various components, such as the body-wing and wing-body. In the present paper, at first the validation of the manoeuvring code is presented relying onto five test cases with different geometries and stern plane configurations, demonstrating an acceptable margin of error with a good reliability and robustness. As a first application, the proposed model is exploited to compare submarines’ manoeuvring characteristics with control surfaces in “X” and cross configurations at constant control area, allowing to highlight of the dierent responses and providing guidance to the designer.