The Role of Ground Crawling Vehicles in the Ocean.
Abstract
As undersea technology is quickening its pace, the need for ocean-bottom vehicles is becoming increasingly obvious for many anticipated underwater activities, such as inspection of cables and pipelines, scientific exploration, and commercial exploitation (mining and farming) of and construction on the seafloor. Submersibles designed for a three-dimensional environment are inadequate for operation on or near the essentially two-dimensional seafloor. In contrast to submersibles, ocean-bottom crawling vehicles are stable even while at rest, because they are in direct contact with the seafloor, which also provides the necessary reaction forces to perform useful work. Some ocean-bottom vehicles are already available, and more are under construction; but a comprehensive study of seafloor trafficability and vehicle mobility has not been made. This paper presents the state of trafficability and mobility knowledge as applied to onshore vehicles, and discusses its applicability to the seafloor environments. The mechanical and geometrical properties of the ocean bottom are briefly analyzed in the light of trafficability concepts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1969
- Accession Number
- ADA032898
Entities
People
- Dean R. Freitag
- Klaus W. Wiendieck