Hydrodynamic coefficients of the DARPA SUBOFF AFF-8 in rotating arm maneuver: Part I: Test technology and validation.

The study of submarine maneuverability is an important part in the overall design of submarines. The goal of this investigation is to study the hydrodynamic coefficients of SUBOFF AFF-8 in rotating arm maneuver. This paper consists of two parts, which deal with the test technology and test results, respectively. In Part I, the measuring and testing technique of the rotating arm test in rotating arm basin of Zhejiang University (ZJU) is presented. The connection between the model and the trailer is completed through a cylindrical strut. A steel base is pre-installed inside the model to connect one end of the strut. The detailed calibration of the six-component balance is presented. The linear hydrodynamic coefficients on the horizontal and vertical plane are obtained and compared with the results of DTRC. The results show that the ZJU test values is reliable. The difference between DTRC and ZJU is within 10%. Some technical details about the rotating arm test are discussed in the conclusion. Part Ⅱ of this paper presents the angular velocity-dependent derivatives and spatial coupling coefficients of SUBOFF AFF-8 and investigates the forces and moments in steady turn. • The main contributions of this paper are the following: • The measuring and testing technique of the rotating arm test is presented. • The detailed calibration of the six-component balance is introduced. • The linear hydrodynamic coefficients of SUBOFF AFF-8 on the horizontal and vertical plane are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]