Analysis of Resistance Reduction via Support Vector Regression and Experiment on a Submerged Floating Vehicle Fitted with an Air Curtain Traversing Deep Soft Terrains

To improve the driving efficiency of submerged floating vehicles (SFVs) in deep soft terrains, the effect of an active air curtain method on the reduction and optimization of sliding resistance of a floating device was explored. The sliding resistance reduction principle of the air curtain was introduced, then, the resistance was analyzed. The soil bin experiment for air curtain resistance reduction test was built. The orthogonal tests were employed to ascertain the influence of the air curtain, ground contact pressure, sliding velocity, and soil moisture content upon the sliding resistance. The results show that the resistance with air curtain is less than that without air curtain, and the resistance reduction rate up to 11.17%. The resistance augments in tandem with the elevation of the ground contact pressure and the sliding velocity. When the soil moisture content approximates the liquid limit, the rate of resistance reduction reaches its peak. Furthermore, a support vector regression (SVR) method is put forward to formulate a regression prediction model for the sliding resistance. The predictions yielded by this method were proximate to the experimental outcomes. It implies that the SVR model exhibits a superior prediction capacity even with a restricted number of samples. The research discloses the impact of the air curtain, ground contact pressure, the floating device’s sliding velocity, and soil moisture level on the sliding resistance. It lays a solid research foundation for the drag reduction design of submerged floating vehicles in deep soft terrains.