| Summary: | A new class of unmanned marine research vessels makes use of wave propulsion to minimise energy requirements during voyages. Existing models of these hybrid sea-surface and underwater craft have not considered if the platform’s interaction with the immediate surrounding sea could be incorporated to allow for more accurate navigation and path planning. To this end a detailed three-dimensional model of one such vessel, the Liquid Robotics’ Wave Glider, has been developed in this study. The multi-body system is described using DenavitHartenberg parametrisation and a Lagrangian approach is used to generate the equations of motion for the body. Physical dimensions are derived from platform measurements and from the product specification sheet, hydrodynamic factors are derived from a SolidWorks model of the system, and added mass components are determined from empirical data. Finally, the dynamic model is verified for a given sea state and multiple sea states are tested to investigate the effect on the model’s performance. The developed Wave Glider model is shown to have a realistic response when hydrodynamic factors, added mass and hydrodynamic damping forces, are included and to sea states in terms of the hydrostatic restorative response. The wave-driven propulsion provided by the hydrofoils is shown to have dependence on the sea state by running the model in an open-loop simulation. Following the model validation, a control system is developed for the Wave Glider model to allow yaw attitude control of the glider using the controllable glider rudder input. The control system is generated making use of quantitative feedback theory (QFT) methods to provide robust control for the under-actuated system. The control scheme is shown to provide suitable performance for sea states that result in variable glider velocities. The model’s performance, in terms of the average velocity, is shown to have dependence on the direction of the sea state by running the model in an open-loop simulation for multiple sea states with sinusoidal waves approaching the Wave Glider model from different directions.
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