Experimental study of jet and cavity coupling under vertical motion of underwater vehicle

Abstract

After the underwater vehicle detaches from the launch tube and starts its engine, the interaction between the tail cavity and the high-speed jet significantly impacts its motion stability and engine efficiency. Therefore, it is crucial to study the evolution mechanism of cavities in vertical motion. However, in traditional water tunnel experiments, the evolution of the cavity differs from the actual situation of vertical launch due to the influence of buoyancy. This study investigates the dynamics and motion trajectories of tail cavities and high-speed gas jets in the vertical movement of vehicles under different Froude numbers and nozzle stagnation pressure ratios through experimentation. The experimental results show two modes of tail cavity evolution: intact cavity (IC) and foam-conical cavity (FC-CC). Increasing the Froude numbers and stagnation pressure ratios facilitates the transition of the cavity from the IC mode to the FC-CC mode, effectively suppressing the formation and intensity of re-entrant jets, thereby reducing its impact on the bottom of the vehicle and enhancing motion stability. By deriving the formula for the length of the jet core area, it was found that the jet length is linearly related to the nozzle stagnation pressure, further revealing the mechanism of cavity evolution. These findings offer a new perspective for a deeper understanding and prediction of the dynamic behavior of underwater vehicles.