Innovative Control Solutions for Vibration and Noise Reduction in Submarine Propulsion System

Abstract

To ensure stealth and operational effectiveness of a high-speed nuclear submarine the transverse vibration of the propulsion shaft must be reduced and the accompanied acoustic noise. This project investigates innovative control strategies that aims to minimise transverse vibration, which is the key contributor to the unwanted noise. The propulsion shaft is modelled as a simply supported beam, the equation of motion is then derived and solved in order to gain insight into the dynamic behaviour of the system. To suppress vibration a closed-loop controller is used by implementing a Proportional-Integral (PI) controller. With optimised controller parameters, this study shows a significant decrease in vibration amplitude, which subsequently enhance the submarine’s stealth capabilities. The finding provides a promising direction for future enhancements in submarine propulsion systems, particularly in addressing the challenge of an unwanted operations in hostile environments.