Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.0
2.8
Journals
JMSE
Special Issues
Overall Design of Underwater Vehicles
share announcement

Overall Design of Underwater Vehicles

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 2354

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Huachao Dong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Marine Science and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Interests: overall design of underwater vehicles; digital design of underwater vehicles; multidisciplinary design and optimization of new concept underwater vehicles; digital twin technology for underwater vehicles; data-driven global optimization algorithm theory; lightweight model technology
Dr. Jinglu Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Shipbuilding Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: digital design and digital twin of underwater vehicles

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Underwater vehicle technology plays a pivotal role in ocean exploration, marine resource development, environmental monitoring, and scientific research. With the growing demand for unmanned and autonomous operations in challenging aquatic environments, the overall design and optimization of underwater vehicles has become essential. Such advancements contribute significantly to improving operational performance, enhancing energy efficiency, increasing maneuverability, and reducing lifecycle costs. This Special Issue focuses on the integrated design approach, covering the advanced theories and applications for underwater vehicles’ hydrodynamic shape, structural form, propulsion systems, intelligent control strategies, trajectory planning, etc. We are pleased to invite submissions for this Special Issue, titled “Overall Design of Underwater Vehicles”. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Conceptual design for new-type underwater vehicles;
  • Multidisciplinary design optimization;
  • AI-assisted integrated design;
  • Hydrodynamic modeling and shape optimization;
  • Lightweight design of structure;
  • Energy systems and endurance enhancement;
  • Guidance, navigation, and control strategies;
  • Multi-vehicle coordination and autonomous decision-making;
  • Numerical simulations and experimental validation;
  • Design for extreme underwater conditions;
  • Human–robot interaction and digital twin.

We welcome original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and case studies that present innovative methodologies and practical applications in the field.

Dr. Huachao Dong
Dr. Jinglu Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • new-type underwater vehicles
  • multidisciplinary design optimization
  • AI-assisted integrated design
  • hydrodynamic analysis
  • lightweight design of structure
  • advanced underwater energy system
  • multi-vehicle coordination and planning

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

27 pages, 6802 KB  
Article
Obstacle-Avoidance Movement Control Algorithm of UUV Cluster System with Static Summoning Points
by Xu Wang, Yan Ma, Zhaoyong Mao and Wunjun Ding
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(10), 877; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14100877 - 8 May 2026
Viewed by 176
Abstract
Cooperative motion control is a fundamental requirement for unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) swarms operating in complex marine environments. Conventional swarm motion-control algorithms may suffer from limited convergence efficiency and redundant obstacle-avoidance maneuvers when the swarm is required to move toward multiple task-related regions. [...] Read more.
Cooperative motion control is a fundamental requirement for unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) swarms operating in complex marine environments. Conventional swarm motion-control algorithms may suffer from limited convergence efficiency and redundant obstacle-avoidance maneuvers when the swarm is required to move toward multiple task-related regions. To address these issues, this study proposes a Vicsek-based distributed motion-control framework with static summoning points and threat-selective obstacle avoidance. First, static summoning points are introduced as predefined task-attraction locations, and a movement-cost-based assignment rule is used to divide the initially mixed swarm into task-oriented subclusters. Under a limited field-of-view constraint, a summoning factor is incorporated into the heading-update rule to balance local neighbor alignment and directional guidance toward the assigned summoning point. Then, an obstacle-avoidance strategy is developed by considering both the relative position of obstacles and the velocity direction of individuals. The detected obstacles are classified as current obstacles or potentially threatening obstacles, and avoidance maneuvers are triggered only when a current obstacle lies within the prescribed safety distance. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed VSSPAO framework can improve convergence consistency, reduce convergence time, and decrease redundant obstacle-avoidance routes compared with the reference algorithms. The proposed method provides an interpretable and computationally simple distributed coordination mechanism for UUV swarm segmentation, task-oriented aggregation, and obstacle avoidance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Overall Design of Underwater Vehicles)
35 pages, 7538 KB  
Article
A Shape Optimization Method Based on Sensitivity-Driven Surrogate Model for a Rim-Driven-Propelled UUV
by Zhenwei Liu, Daiyu Zhang, Ning Wang, Chaoming Bao, Qian Liu and Hongwei Chen
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(9), 809; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14090809 - 28 Apr 2026
Viewed by 219
Abstract
Under hull–propulsor coupling conditions, the geometric shape of an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) can significantly affect the inflow conditions of the aft rim-driven thruster (RDT) and, consequently, its propulsive performance. However, the number of UUV shape design parameters is relatively large, and their [...] Read more.
Under hull–propulsor coupling conditions, the geometric shape of an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) can significantly affect the inflow conditions of the aft rim-driven thruster (RDT) and, consequently, its propulsive performance. However, the number of UUV shape design parameters is relatively large, and their influences on the propulsive efficiency of the RDT differ markedly. If an equal-weight search strategy is still adopted for optimization, the computational cost will increase and the optimization efficiency will be reduced. To address this issue, this paper proposes an efficient global-sensitivity-information-driven sequential surrogate-based optimization method for the shape optimization design of the UUV, with the aim of improving the propulsive efficiency of the RDT corresponding to the self-propulsion equilibrium state under the cruise condition. Based on the hull–propulsor coupled numerical model of the UUV and RDT, the proposed method obtains the propulsive efficiency of the RDT at the self-propulsion point under the cruise condition by solving the self-propulsion equilibrium condition. On this basis, Sobol global sensitivity analysis is performed using the Kriging surrogate model to quantitatively evaluate the influence of the UUV shape design parameters on the propulsive efficiency of the RDT. Then, the global sensitivity information is mapped into optimization weights. Based on this, the minimum of surrogate prediction (MSP) and expected improvement (EI) sampling criteria are introduced. In this way, a surrogate model sequential optimization method driven by global sensitivity information is developed. The optimization results show that, after optimizing the UUV external shape, the propulsive efficiency of the RDT under the cruise condition is increased by 22.83%, thereby verifying the effectiveness of the proposed method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Overall Design of Underwater Vehicles)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

31 pages, 3512 KB  
Article
A CFD-in-the-Loop Control Simulation and Parameter Optimization Framework for Large-Angle Yaw Maneuvers of AUVs
by Daiyu Zhang, Ning Wang, Fangfang Hu, Zhenwei Liu, Chaoming Bao and Qian Liu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(8), 716; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14080716 - 13 Apr 2026
Viewed by 290
Abstract
For AUVs operating under large-rudder-angle yaw maneuvering conditions, linearized hydrodynamic-derivative models often fail to accurately capture strongly nonlinear flow effects, and the applicability of control parameters becomes limited. To address these issues, this paper proposes a CFD-in-the-loop control simulation and parameter optimization framework [...] Read more.
For AUVs operating under large-rudder-angle yaw maneuvering conditions, linearized hydrodynamic-derivative models often fail to accurately capture strongly nonlinear flow effects, and the applicability of control parameters becomes limited. To address these issues, this paper proposes a CFD-in-the-loop control simulation and parameter optimization framework for large-rudder-angle yaw maneuvers. Based on a coupled hull–propeller–rudder solution method, an unsteady CFD motion simulation model is developed that simultaneously accounts for propeller wake, rudder inflow, and hull-flow interaction, thereby enabling a strongly coupled solution of flow-field evolution and the six-degree-of-freedom motion of the vehicle. On this basis, a CFD-in-the-loop closed-loop control simulation framework is established by integrating the controller, actuator dynamic model, virtual sensors, and CFD motion simulation module into a unified framework, thereby realizing closed-loop computation of control input, flow response, motion update, and state feedback. Furthermore, under the same controller structure and parameter settings, the large-rudder-angle yaw responses predicted by the linearized hydrodynamic-derivative model and the CFD-in-the-loop simulation framework are compared and analyzed. This comparison reveals the dependence of control parameters on the underlying dynamic model and highlights their limited applicability under strongly nonlinear operating conditions. Finally, to address the high computational cost of CFD-in-the-loop simulations, a surrogate-model-based control parameter optimization method is developed to improve parameter tuning efficiency and enhance closed-loop control performance. The results show that the proposed CFD-in-the-loop control simulation framework can effectively characterize the nonlinear hydrodynamic effects arising during large-rudder-angle maneuvers, and provides a more physically consistent basis for control parameter optimization, analysis, and design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Overall Design of Underwater Vehicles)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 13742 KB  
Article
The Influence of Pectoral Fin Bending Morphology on the Gliding Performance of Manta Ray-like UUVs
by Yonghui Cao, Xinyu Lei, Cheng Xing, Minhui Zhang, Xiaoyang Wu and Guang Pan
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(5), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14050406 - 24 Feb 2026
Viewed by 497
Abstract
Inspired by observations of manta ray gliding, this study designed and evaluated a more biologically accurate pectoral fin bending model. We assessed its hydrodynamic performance using six-degrees-of-freedom (6-DoF) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, which were validated by tethered water tunnel experiments. Key findings [...] Read more.
Inspired by observations of manta ray gliding, this study designed and evaluated a more biologically accurate pectoral fin bending model. We assessed its hydrodynamic performance using six-degrees-of-freedom (6-DoF) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, which were validated by tethered water tunnel experiments. Key findings reveal that symmetric bending significantly impacts longitudinal stability, increasing the pitch angle to nearly twice that of the flat-wing model (80° model) but compromising gliding efficiency. During this symmetric motion, the lift-to-drag ratio (K) minimum point is significantly delayed as the bending angle increases, following a negative quadratic trend. Conversely, asymmetric bending triggers a sharp 3.5-fold increase in the roll angle (80° vs. 30° model) and produces significant lateral displacement. Importantly, “roll-induced yaw” was confirmed as the dominant mechanism for lateral control, contributing up to 88.5% of the lateral force in the 80° model, despite minimal changes in the yaw angle. These findings reveal the intrinsic trade-offs between fin deformation, gliding efficiency, and attitude control, providing a theoretical basis for active configuration optimization and control strategies for bionic gliders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Overall Design of Underwater Vehicles)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

30 pages, 22734 KB  
Article
Design of an AUV Visual Docking Localization Simulation Platform Based on Webots
by Runfa Xing, Lichuan Zhang, Guangyao Han and Lu Liu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(4), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14040374 - 15 Feb 2026
Viewed by 629
Abstract
To meet the design and evaluation requirements of underwater vision-based docking localization, a Webots-based simulation platform for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) visual docking localization was designed and implemented to address the high cost of real sea trials, uncontrollable operating conditions, and the difficulty [...] Read more.
To meet the design and evaluation requirements of underwater vision-based docking localization, a Webots-based simulation platform for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) visual docking localization was designed and implemented to address the high cost of real sea trials, uncontrollable operating conditions, and the difficulty of systematically covering extreme scenarios. An end-to-end simulation of the docking localization pipeline was provided. Visual components—including fiducial markers, underwater illumination and imaging, and occlusion—were modeled in relatively fine detail, while non-vision-dominant factors such as propulsion and hydrodynamics were treated with approximate models to balance visual realism and simulation efficiency. The platform supported multiple types of visual markers, parameterized configuration of underwater lighting and turbidity, and the generation of diverse occlusion scenarios, enabling unified integration and benchmarking of docking localization algorithms. The results showed that the platform offered tunable scene parameters, repeatable conditions, and broad algorithm compatibility, and it effectively revealed performance differences across algorithms for complex combinations of illumination, turbidity, and occlusion. These capabilities reduced the risk and cost of real underwater docking experiments and supported faster iterative improvement of vision-based localization methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Overall Design of Underwater Vehicles)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop