Investigation into the dynamic behaviour of a two-part underwater tow

The trajectory of a submerged body being towed by a surface vessel is affected by the wave induced motion of the latter. In an effort to decouple this motion, a two-part tow configuration has been employed. This paper describes a three dimensional model developed to investigate the two part tow, where the two cables are modelled separately and dynamically interfaced. The solution to the dynamic equations describing the motion of the cable configuration subject to specific boundary conditions is then carried out using numerical techniques. This enables the investigation of the effect of varying the point of attachment between the cables and to include systems consisting of multiple towed objects. The model compares favourably against experimental results from scaled model tests in a circulating water channel.