Steady-State Analysis of Underwater Cables

Abstract

This paper considers the equations required to analyze the three-dimensional steady-state configuration of an underwater cable system. Both towed systems and autonomous remotely controlled systems are considered, and the equations used to simulate the cable configuration are given. A sea-buggy example, originally considered by De Zoysa in 1978, is given to demonstrate the solution of the resulting two-point boundary-value problem by a shooting method. The results correct those of Wang et al. in 1993. An example of a towed system using a stranded cable demonstrates the inclusion of cable lift. A simplified analysis of the dependence of the cable tension on the cable length is also given. The optimum length of cable required to product the minimum force on the vehicle is between three and six times the direct range of the vehicle from the ship, for a range of vehicle positions.