Experimental study on inertial hydrodynamic behaviors of a complex remotely operated vehicle

This paper presents an experimental study on inertial hydrodynamic behaviors of an open-frame remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that has a complex open-frame hull but a large capacity to hold more instruments on board than those of other ROVs. A 1:4 scaled model was tested by a vertical planar motion mechanism in a circulating water channel of Harbin Engineering University. The inertial coefficients, which can be used for the simulation of motions and therefore for the maneuverability of the ROV, were calculated. Particular attention was paid to discuss the properties of the cross-inertial coefficients, which are related to the inertial forces/moments induced by the motion in other directions.