3367. Inclining Experiment Sensitivity Analysis Using Excel Simulation Tools

Paper

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is two-fold. The main reason is to illustrate how simulation tools may be applied to experimental measurement problems to better understand and quantify uncertainties of the measurement. In the sample case used here, a generic submarine inclining experiment, any single measurement or experiment is time-consuming, expensive, and logistically challenging. Multiple measurements are not feasible and therefore, up to now, any error analysis was not based on multiple experiments on one ship, but on single on multiple sister ships. Simulation tools allow us to perform a multitude of ?what-if? scenarios on that one single experiment and quantify possible errors.
The secondary reason for this paper is to use the results of the simulations to show what factors in an inclining experiment are the most important to the outcome of the experiment and thus where those performing the experiment should concentrate their efforts to ensure precision and accuracy. Since these simulations were done on a generic submarine, and with nominal values for the data, the numerical results from the simulations are not directly applicable to any particular ship or submarine. However, the relative influence of the factors are deemed to be representative of an inclining experiment on a submarine of similar size and shape.