Modeling and Simulation of Horizontal Rotational Movements for a Tandem Multibody AUV under Varied Thrust Configurations

Tandem multibody AUVs (TMAUVs) plays an important role in offshore exploration, benefitted from its good maneuverability. However, its intrinsic dynamics has not been well studied, which hinders further enhancement. This paper presents a mathematical model of TMAUV under different thrust configurations, the dynamics of the TMAUV are established through the Euler-Lagrange method. In order to establish a more realistic model that reflects its intrinsic dynamics, a piecewise function is employed for passive joint modeling. A series of horizontal motion simulations are carried out based on this model, and the outcomes demonstrate the efficacy and reliability of the model. The results indicate that under three different thrust configurations, namely MMM, MMT, and MTM, all of them can perform stable horizontal rotational movements with respective radii of 46.8784 m, 206.9459 m and 84.8309 m. Moreover, under the MMT thrust configuration, the TMAUV executes a distinct counterclockwise rotation, which is counterintuitive and deserves further deepening investigation.