AAS 97-139

SIMULTANEOUS DEPLOYMENT OF A CABLE FROM TWO MOVING PLATFORMS

S. Djerassi and H. Bamberger, Haifa, Israel

Abstract

The present paper deals with the deployment of a cable from two moving platforms. The cable is regarded as a collection of links whose number increases with time. An order-n algorithm is constructed for the simulation of motion of the cable during deployment, incorporating a novel, three pass procedure for the identification of constraint forces appearing in the equations of motion, and a procedure for the release of the cable from both platforms. The algorithm is described, and the use of the association simulation program is illustrated by means of an example.