Shape optimization of underwater glider for maximum gliding range with uncertainty factors considered

Abstract

The hydrodynamic shape greatly influences the motion performance of underwater gliders. This paper aims to optimize the shape of an underwater glider to maximize its gliding range with uncertainty factors considered. Considering the influence of glider shape on hydrodynamic force, the optimization process consists of two parts. Firstly, the main body of the underwater glider is optimized to minimize the drag coefficient, and the optimization results based on different surrogate models are compared. Then, the wing parameters of the underwater glider are optimized using interval optimization to maximize the gliding range, while considering the uncertainty factors. The results show that using artificial neural networks to establish surrogate model can reduce the error in the optimization results. Additionally, the optimal wing parameters are obtained while considering uncertainties in net buoyancy and energy consumption. Optimization result effectively improves the glider gliding range. The optimization method presented in this paper can provide a good reference for shape optimization of other underwater gliders.