Modeling and Motion Simulation for A Flying-Wing Underwater Glider with A Symmetrical Airfoil

The flying-wing underwater glider (UG), shaped as a blended wing body, is a new type of underwater vehicle and still requires further research. The shape layout and the configuration of the internal actuators of the flying-wing UG are different from those of “legacy gliders” which have revolving bodies, and these two factors strongly affect the dynamic performance of the vehicle. Considering these differences, we propose a new configuration of the internal actuators for the flying-wing UG and treat the flying-wing UG as a multi-body system when establishing its dynamic model. In this paper, a detailed dynamic model is presented using the Newton-Euler method for the flying-wing UG. Based on the full dynamic model, the effect of the internal actuators on the steady gliding motion of vehicle is studied theoretically, and the relationship between the state parameters of the steady gliding motion and the controlled variables is obtained by solving a set of equilibrium equations. Finally, the behaviors of two classical motion modes of the glider are analyzed based on the simulation. The simulation results demonstrate that the motion performance of the proposed flying-wing UG is satisfactory.