Research on the Response of High-Speed Water Entry Structure of Clamp Connected Vehicle

To address the severe structural damage caused by inter-segment interactions during high-speed water entry of segmented underwater vehicles, this study establishes a numerical model of a clamp-connected vehicle to investigate the structural response characteristics of its hull. A three-dimensional parametric model was developed with precise dimensional specifications for the clamp connection mechanism. The fluid-structure interaction during water entry was simulated using the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) algorithm in LS-DYNA. Systematic numerical investigations were conducted on the water entry process with varying impact velocities (60-120 m/s) and entry angles (60°-90°). The analysis focused on hull stress distribution patterns and transient impact load variations between segments, revealing the fundamental mechanisms governing inter-segment structural responses. The results demonstrate that the inter-segment impact acceleration exhibits bidirectional oscillations due to complex hydrodynamic coupling effects. Both increased entry velocity and steeper impact angle significantly amplify peak acceleration magnitudes. Notably, critical stress concentrations exceeding material yield strength were identified at Clamp 2 location during initial water impact, indicating high vulnerability to plastic deformation and posing substantial threats to structural integrity. These findings provide crucial insights for optimizing the impact-resistant design of multi-segment underwater vehicles operating in high-speed water entry conditions.