Title: Design of an underwater glider platform for shallow-water applications

Authors: Nur Afande Ali Hussain, Ting Ming Chung, Mohd Rizal Arshad, Rosmiwati Mohd-Mokhtar, Mohd Zulkifly Abdullah

Addresses: Underwater Robotics Research Group, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Seberang Perai Selatan, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. ' School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Seberang Perai Selatan, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. ' Underwater Robotics Research Group, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Seberang Perai Selatan, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. ' Underwater Robotics Research Group, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Seberang Perai Selatan, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. ' School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Seberang Perai Selatan, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Abstract: Underwater gliders are a type of autonomous underwater vehicles that glide by controlling their buoyancy and attitude using internal actuators. By changing the vehicle|s buoyancy intermittently, vertical motion can be achieved. Characteristic of glider motions include upward and downward in a saw tooth pattern, turning and gliding in a vertical spiral motion glides without using thrusters or propellers. This paper presents the development of the USM underwater glider as the first prototype for shallow water applications. The prototype development involves vehicle concept design using Solidworks™, vehicle simulations by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and MATLAB Simulink™ as stage of the design process. Once the prototype fabrication and system integration are completed, it will be tested for vehicle|s modelling and controller development using the system identification approach and will be compared with the proven glider|s control model.

Keywords: underwater gliders; computational fluid dynamics; CFD; shallow water; autonomous underwater vehicles; buoyancy control; attitude control; internal actuators; glider motion; simulation; modelling.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIDSS.2010.037090

International Journal of Intelligent Defence Support Systems, 2010 Vol.3 No.3/4, pp.186 - 206

Published online: 23 Nov 2010 *

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