Dynamics of ships running aground

Abstract

A comprehensive dynamic model is presented for analysis of the transient loads and responses of the hull girder of ships running aground on relatively plane sand, gravel, or rock sea bottoms. Depending on the seabed soil characteristics and the geometry of the ship bow, the bow will plow into the seabed to some extent. The soil forces are determined by a mathematical model based on a theory for frictional soils in rupture and dynamic equilibrium of the fluid phase in the saturated soil. The hydrodynamic pressure forces acting on the decelerated ship hull are determined by taking into account the effect of shallow water. Hydrodynamic memory effects on the transient hull motions are modeled by application of an impulse response technique. The ship hull is modeled as an elastic beam to determine the structural response in the form of flexural and longitudinal stress waves caused by the transient ground reaction and hydrodynamic forces. A number of numerical analysis results are presented for a VLCC running aground. The results include bow trajectory in the seabed, time variation of the grounding force, and the maximum values of the sectional shear forces and bending moments in the hull girder.