Experimental study on a controllable underwater towed system

An alternative type of controllable underwater towed system is proposed. The towed vehicle in the system is composed of an adjustable depressing wing and a rectangular wing-shaped main body. Laboratory experimental observations on the behavior of this kind of towed system are reported and the experimental techniques to detect the hydrodynamic performances of the system are described. The results of the study indicate that with such a design the objective of rapid trajectory manipulation and relative stable attitude towing for the towed vehicle can be achieved; the experimental monitoring approaches provide an effective and reliable way to detect the hydrodynamic behavior of a towed system model tested in a ship model towing tank which would be quite useful in understanding the hydrodynamic and control behavior of the system.