Layout optimization of landing gears for an underwater glider based on particle swarm algorithm

A novel optimization process is proposed to find the optimal layout of landing gears for an underwater glider, based on which the comprehensive performance of the underwater landing platform is significantly improved. The performance of the platform is defined by 4 sub optimization objectives. The weights of the sub objectives are determined according to the degree of importance. 2 kinds of instability states of the platform are defined. Numerical investigations are carried out to analyze the hydrodynamic performance of the platform using Ansys CFX. Then, response surface models of the optimization objectives are established using 30 sample points (design schemes). The response surface models describe the relationship between the optimization objectives and layout parameters of the landing gears. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is applied to search for the optimal solution accompanied with the response surface models. Finally, the value of the global optimization objective is enhanced from −0.1601 to −0.1147.