Magnetic Signature of a Submarine

Application ID: 291


A vessel traveling on the surface or under water gives rise to detectable local disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field. These disturbances can be used to trigger weapon systems. The magnetic signature of a ship can be reduced by generating a counteracting magnetic field of suitable strength and direction based on prior knowledge of the magnetic properties of the vessel.

This model demonstrates a powerful technique in such modeling by treating the sheet metal as 2D faces embedded in a 3D geometry. Thus, comparatively inexpensive 2D face meshes are required in addition to the 3D volume mesh used for the surrounding medium. A tangential projection of the 3D equation is then solved on the 2D face mesh.

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products: