A new robust design optimization approach for unmanned underwater vehicle design

Abstract

Design of unmanned underwater vehicles is a complex and challenging task. While optimization methods can be applied to identify designs which are faster, more manoeuvrable and flexible to deal with various mission profiles, a practical realization requires the design to be robust, i.e. one with the best average performance under expected parametric variations. In this paper, an optimization framework for the design of underwater vehicles is presented. The framework is subsequently used to identify optimal and robust optimal designs of a small-scale (length nominally less than 500 mm) and light-weight (less than 0.5 kg) toy submarine. The submarine design described in the paper relies heavily on the use of off-the-shelf components in an attempt to contain cost. The differences between the optimal design and the robust optimal design are discussed in detail. The designs identified through the process of optimization are compared with an existing toy submarine to highlight the benefits offered by the present approach. The framework has been used to design two underwater vehicles which are currently being built by the research group.