A numerical model of a towed cable-body system

Abstract

In this paper, the motion of a body towed by an aircraft on a long thin elastic cable is modelled. The motion of the cable is described by a system of partial differential equations, and a six degree of freedom model used for the towed body. The partial differential equations governing the motion of the cable-body system are solved numerically by discretising them using the finite difference method. The resulting system of non-linear equations is solved iteratively at each time step. The numerical scheme, which allows for the deployment or retrieval of the cable, is briefly described and results presented for several ma- noeuvres of the towing aircraft.