The motion of the 2D hydrodynamic chaplygin sleigh in the presence of circulation

Abstract

We consider the motion of a planar rigid body in a potential two-dimensional flow with a circulation and subject to a certain nonholonomic constraint. This model can be related to the design of underwater vehicles. The equations of motion admit a reduction to a 2-dimensional nonlinear system, which is integrated explicitly. We show that the reduced system comprises both asymptotic and periodic dynamics separated by a critical value of the energy, and give a complete classification of types of the motion. Then we describe the whole variety of the trajectories of the body on the plane.