Dynamic response of towed line array

Three-dimensional motion equations with consideration of the bending and torsional effects of a marine towed cable system under large elastic deformation conditions are formulated using the lumped parameter model. The lumped mass model is used to simulate a circular maneuver of a towed horizontal array that was first presented by Ablow. The results of this paper are in a good agreement with those obtained by finite difference schemes, and the minimum depth is closer to the experimental result. Although the calculations take more computation time, the lumped mass model is a good method, which can also be used to solve problems of towed line array, especially multi-branched towed line array, because of its flexibility.