The fluid-structure interaction dynamic numerical simulation of the ice-breaking and water-exit process of the underwater vehicle

Studying the dynamic characteristics of the vehicle during the water-exit process through ice-breaking has significant scientific value and engineering significance for improving its performance and ensuring the safety of polar missions. Focusing on the dynamic characteristics of ice fragmentation and impact loads during the water-exit process of a vehicle breaking through ice, this paper establishes a numerical simulation method for the ice-vehicle-water coupling interaction based on the ALE algorithm and the penalty function contact algorithm. The dynamic characteristics under different launch velocities and dual-vehicle launch conditions are investigated, and the ice fragmentation characteristics and vehicle load characteristics during the water-exit process are obtained. The research results show that the water-exit process of the vehicle breaking through ice can be divided into three stages. The load on the vehicle mainly consists of fluid force and contact force, with the peak contact force reaching 2 600 kN and the peak fluid force reaching 1 400 kN. The fluid force on the dual-vehicle configuration is reduced by 50% compared with that on the single-vehicle configuration during ice-breaking. As the launch velocity increases, the velocity decay rate of the vehicle gradually decreases. When the launch velocity is 50 m/s, the velocity decay rate is 5.98%. The research results can provide theoretical basis and technical support for underwater launch engineering of vehicles in polar environments.