ADVANCED TOWING CARRIAGE AND INSTRUMENTATION FOR THE STUDY OF SMALL VESSELS IN WAVES
Abstract
We propose an instrumentation development program to modernize the 60-year-old Virginia Tech (VT) Towing Tank to complement recent upgrades to the wave making device. We propose to replace the current passenger-operated towing carriage with a modern, remotely operated carriage. We also propose to install a 2 degree-of-freedom (DOF) vertical planar motion mechanism (VPMM) that will allow conventional pitch-heave measurements in waves, including slamming measurements. We also propose a modular data acquisition system for multiple types of experiments that will be dedicated to the tow tank facility.Naval research has long motivated the development of experimental methods tounderstand the origins and influence of hydrodynamic forcing on vessel motion. These measurements can improve vessel design criteria, expanding the range of allowable operating conditions for vessels in waves. In parallel, as equipage and tactics vary over the useful life of a vessel, there is a need to extend the understanding of vessel motion and control beyond earlier operating limits.The primary goal of the proposed research instrumentation development program is to transform the VT Towing Tank into a precise, modern facility to support innovative, non-traditional ocean engineering research. The speci#c objectives are:1. to design, fabricate, and install a faster, lightweight, unmanned towing carriagewith minimal vibration and precisely controlled velocity,2. to design, fabricate, and install a vertical planar motion mechanism (VPMM)on the towing carriage that will allow for controlled heave and pitch motions forboth surface models and sub-surface models,3. to instrument the carriage with a high-speed, state-of-the-art data acquisitionsystem that is modular, to accommodate a variety of towing tank experiments,4. and to update the measurement instrumentation on the carriage to complement and enhance current and future ONR projects.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 27, 2018
- Source ID
- N000141812602
Entities
People
- Christine Gilbert
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Virginia Tech