Shape Changing, Reduced Density, Towed Array Hose

Two problems affect Navy submarine towed arrays. The first problem is damage imparted to the array components by the handling system. The second problem is the noise generated by hose oscillation and turbulence that develops during submarine turns; the circular cylinder hose experiences a cross flow which causes vortex shedding. TRI/Austin proposes to address each problem separately and then integrate the results into a final proposed towed array hose design. The damage problem can be addressed by increasing the internal pressure in the towed array hose. The hose wall material will have to be less dense and still meet all of the performance requirements for the towed array. TRI/Austin will call upon a significant bank of material development expertise and experience in developing rho-c materials to meet demanding performance requirements, finding and formulating the right combination of thermoplastics and additives to meet the requirements of the towed array hose application. Three strum suppression mechanisms will be analyzed and evaluated. The analysis will be performed using 3D computational fluid dynamics. The best performing strum suppressor, by analytical modeling, will be tested in a tow tank to verify the model conforms to test results.