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Virginia Tech

Lagrangian Mechanics Modeling of Free Surface-Affected Marine Craft

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Although ships have been used for thousands of years, modeling the dynamics of marine craft has historically been restricted by the complex nature of the hydrodynamics. The principal challenge is that the vehicle motion is coupled to the ambient fluid motion, effectively requiring one to solve an infinite dimensional set of equations to predict the hydrodynamic forces and moments acting on a marine vehicle. Additional challenges arise in parametric modeling, where one approximates the fluid behavior using reduced-order ordinary differential equations. Parametric models are typically required for model-based state estimation and feedback control design, while also supporting other applications including vehicle design and submarine operator training. In this dissertation, Lagrangian mechanics is used to derive nonlinear, parametric motion models for marine craft operating in the presence of a free surface. In Lagrangian mechanics, one constructs the equations of motion for a dynamic system using a system Lagrangian, a scalar energy-like function canonically defined as the system kinetic energy minus the system potential energies. The Lagrangian functions are identified under ideal flow assumptions and are used to derive two sets of equations. The first set of equations neglects hydrodynamic forces due to exogenous fluid motions and may be interpreted as a nonlinear calm water maneuvering model. The second set of equations incorporates effects due to exogenous fluid motion, and may be interpreted as a nonlinear, unified maneuvering and seakeeping model. Having identified the state- and time-dependent model parameters, one may use these models to rapidly simulate surface-affected marine craft maneuvers, enabling model-based control design and state estimation algorithms.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Aerospace Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2018

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Battista, Thomas Andrew
Chairs dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Woolsey, Craig A.
  • Valentinis, Francis
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Brizzolara, Stefano
  • Paterson, Eric G.

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:14811
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/82928

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Battista, Thomas Andrew. Lagrangian Mechanics Modeling of Free Surface-Affected Marine Craft. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/82928