Global Maritime Congress GMC'24, İstanbul, Türkiye, 20 - 21 Mayıs 2024, cilt.1, sa.1, ss.301-310
High maneuverability is a fundamental design principle in submarine design. The main parameters that shape the external configuration include the hull form, length-to-beam ratio (L/B), relative lengths of fore and aft ends, and form factors. Increasing hull elongation is expected to reduce form resistance, although it may lead to a larger wetted surface area and, consequently, increased friction resistance. The optimum hull elongation that minimizes resistance exists from a resistance perspective. Additionally, increased hull elongation affects the static and dynamic stability of a submarine. This study focuses on investigating the effects of different hull elongations (L/B) on the static drift of the Autosub underwater vehicle. Computational fluid dynamics analyses validate the static drift results against experimental data from the open literature, followed by generating geometries for various L/B ratios at constant displacement. The results are analyzed to draw conclusions about the impact of hull elongation on maneuverability.