Simulation Analysis and Experimental Study of Defect Detection Underwater by ACFM Probe

This article studies the application of the alternating current field measurement （ACFM） method in defect detection for underwater structures. Numerical model of the ACFM system is built for structure surface defect detection in seawater environment. Finite element simulation is performed to investigate rules and characteristics of the electromagnetic signal distribution in the defected area. In respect of the simulation results, underwater artificial crack detection experiments are designed and conducted for the ACFM system. The experiment results show that the ACFM system can detect cracks in underwater structures and the detection accuracy is higher than 85%. This can meet the engineering requirement of underwater structure defect detection. The results in this article can be applied to establish technical foundation for the optimization and development of ACFM based underwater structure defects detection system.

Experimental investigation on underwater drag reduction using partial cavitation

For underwater drag reduction, one promising idea is to form a continuous gas or discrete bubbly layer at the submerged surface. Owing to the lower viscosity of gas than of water, this could considerably reduce underwater drag by achieving slippage at the liquid–gas interface. This paper presents an experimental investigation on underwater drag reduction using partial cavitation. Dense hydrophobic micro-grooved structures sustain gas in the valleys, which can be considered as defects that weaken the strength of the water body. Therefore, partial cavities are easily formed at lower flow speeds, and the dense cavities connect to form a lubricating gas layer at the solid–liquid interface. The results indicate that the proposed method achieves drag reduction without any additional energy or gas-providing devices, which should stimulate the development of underwater vehicles.