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Numéro : 2420 - Year : 2003

Submarine manoeuvring performance predictions

Gontran CHATRY, DCN – (France)
Xavier ITARD, DCN – (France)

Predicting the manoeuvring performance of a submarine from the beginning of the project is essential, both to determine the manoeuvring characteristics, and to guarantee safe navigation, even in case of accident.

The paper describes the particularities of submarine manreuvres and presents the main phases of DCN's design process in this field.

Firstly, the tools used to size the hydroplanes early in the process are described, then the experimental facilities used to validate the performance with mock-up model tests in a towing tank.

Then the paper will present the modelling and simulation tools in use at DCN and the way they are used, not only to verify general performance, but also for safety studies and to establish the safety envelope, the principle of which will be explained.

Due to the particular criticality of nuclear submarine safety, the need to control submarine behaviour even during reaction to accidents led DCN to use a specific free running model able in particular to simulate floodings and deballasting. This facility, quite unique in the world, allowed to illustrate the complex hydrodynamic phenomenon acting on a deballasted submarine, and to determine the optimum reaction for ship and crew safety. The main results are presented.