Feasibility Study on Wireless Power Transfer for AUV with Novel Pressure-Resistant Ceramic Materials

Wireless power transfer (WPT) technology attracts increasing attention to becoming a reliable and safe underwater charging method for Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Metallic hull brings negative effects to WPT systm for AUV charging, tradtional AUV hull made of high-stength steel, aluminum alloy or titanium alloy would cause failure to wireless charging. SiAlON ceramics with high compressive strength, high resistance against corrosion, low specific gravity is considered as a promising pressure-resistant material for AUV. This paper studies the feasibility of wireless charging for AUV with novel pressure-resistant ceramics and makes comparison with glass hull. A 1 kW experimental prototype is implemented to validated the power transmission performance. Compared with glass hull, the SiAlON ceramics hull has little effect on WPT system for AUV.