CAREER: Modeling and Control of Undulating-Fin Underwater Vessels in Close Formation

Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton FL

Investigators

Abstract

This Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) project will study underwater vehicles equipped with a bio-inspired fin-based propulsion system. The specific configuration under study consists of a single undulating fin running along the length of the vehicle, which controls both forward motion and directional maneuvers. The project will first use analytical, computational, and experimental studies to describe how the fin shape and motion relates to the movement of a single vessel. Those results will then be extended to cooperative groups of multiple vessels traveling in formation. Of particular interest are the ways in which formations can make full use of the control inputs available from each vessel's undulating fin to improve collective maneuverability and efficiency, and to alter far-field wake patterns. The results of the project will be applicable to other related undulating propulsion and control configurations. The development of these multi-agent underwater systems will benefit the nation scientifically and economically, by allowing efficient and versatile operation to explore for resources and perform oceanographic observations, with minimal disturbance to the underwater environment. These systems will also be important to the nation's defense, due to their ability to travel long distances, perform multiple simultaneous independent tasks, and control their acoustic signature. Groups underrepresented in engineering -- in particular Hispanic students -- will be recruited for this project, thus increasing the diversity of the engineering student body and the future US workforce. This research project will investigate a class of undulating fin underwater vehicles, both singly and collectively, leading to understanding of how hydrodynamic interactions affect the speed, wake signature, energy efficiency, and maneuverability of the vessels and the formation. Critically, each agent should fully exploit hydrodynamic interaction within the system, and also with the surrounding fluid environment. The objectives of the research program include (i) measuring the dynamics and wake of single and multiple vessels; (ii) developing a dynamic model of the system; (iii) establishing a control model relating parameters in the fin kinematics to the motion of the vessel; (iv) studying the performance and hydrodynamic interaction of an array of bio-inspired underwater vessels. The research will combine experimental work and modeling using a novel bio-mimetic vessel with undulating fin propulsion. The methods will include measurements of kinematics, hydrodynamic forces, flow fields and power consumption. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.