Hydrodynamic Characteristics of an Underwater Manipulator in Pulsating Flow

Pulsating flow is a common condition for underwater manipulators in Bohai Bay. This study aimed to investigate the effects of pulsation frequency and amplitude on the hydrodynamic characteristics of an underwater manipulator with different postures using the user-defined function (UDF) method. The lift coefficient (CL), drag coefficient (CD), and vortex shedding of the underwater manipulator in single- and dualarm forms were obtained. Results indicated that the maximum increase in the lift and drag coefficients subjected to the pulsation parameters was 24.45